tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70535292380393453842009-05-25T22:04:38.487-04:00Meteorologist Howard Bernstein joined W*USA 9 in November of 2000. You can watch him reporting the weather weekdays on 9NEWS NOW at Noon and out in the weather reporting any time, day or night, whenever there's a big storm.9NEWS NOW Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03055782430844089430noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-73294879083443178852008-08-16T06:03:00.003-04:002008-08-16T06:13:36.223-04:00

Philip hops around as if he were on the moon in the 1/6 trainer at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL.

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-29472953267464286072008-05-22T09:21:00.003-04:002008-05-22T09:31:08.362-04:00

I was walking on Pennsylavnia Avenue this morning getting a bite to eat with Paul Lester. He's one of our photgraphers. We had just finished a morning shoot at the U.S. Botanical Garden and we walked past this lady who was walking her dog.The woman was looking away, but the dog looked right at me and even tried to give a sniff. I'm sure if the dog could have, he would have come over to me,

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With all of the rain lately, mushrooms have been popping up all over. Many people like to eat mushrooms, but these can be some of the deadliest things on the planet. I had a neighbor who was from Switzerland when I was growing up. Patrick "recognized" a particular mushroom and picked some for part of his dinner. He was lucky to have only needed ICU for a week and that he ultimately survived. Not

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A couple of years ago a tree was shipped from a Detroit area nursery to Ed's Plant World in Prince George's county. Normally this would have been a routine thing, but there was one HUGE difference than normal. There was a quarantine on Ash Trees in the Midwest because a bug called, the Emerald Ash Borer had devastated millions of trees in the Midwest and parts of Ontario. From the website : http

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-92050560110266830202008-05-15T07:04:00.012-04:002008-05-15T19:02:34.777-04:00

A n unusual thing happened last week at my son's elementary school. A swarm of bees had descended on a tree in the school courtyard. The school immediately closed the courtyard to students and thought the bees would fly away in a short amount of time.After 4 days, the bees were still there and a bee expert was brought in. I had the opportunity/privelege to videotape the whole thing. The video

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-66018160827209942082008-05-11T09:00:00.003-04:002008-05-11T09:00:01.158-04:00

How's your lawn looking? If it's good, great for you, but if it's not where you want it to be, there are some basic things to do. For starters, raise the mowing blade and mulch. 3" is a good height and mulching will return the nutrients back into the lawn. Also, higher grass is more tolerant of hot/dry weather and the taller grass will block more light and make it more difficult for weed seeds

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-42575810491827310872008-05-09T09:00:00.001-04:002008-05-09T09:00:03.960-04:00

Last Friday, May 2nd, Philip Bernstein turned 8. As is tradition in my house, we get a Carvel Ice Cream cake. Helaine and I both grew up on Long Island and we've been having Carvel Ice Cream cakes since we were kids. In the past couple of years, Carvel has expanded into the region and there is a locally owned store in Gaithersburg off Muddy Branch Road. I find that the cakes made in the store

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This is a wonderful time of year as the days are pleasantly warm and the trees, bushes and grass are still in good shape.But, there are always issues and one of them is a blight on the garden. Here is another tip from DC Extension Agent Sandy Farber:DOG VOMIT or dog barf fungus has once again been crawling its way across landscapes. This somewhat grotesque, slimy barf-colored growth is actually

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-5421491275122422392008-05-06T10:58:00.003-04:002008-05-06T11:06:37.569-04:00

Perhaps you've noticed what look like big webs on tree branches lately. This is more than likely the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. They will eventually turn into a moth, nothing spectacular, but an interesting animal nonetheless. These guys live in webs made from their silk and my DC Extension Agent expert, Sandy Farber passed along the following:DC Extension Service have reported that the silk nests

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I had the pleasure of talking to the first graders at Beverly Farms Elementary School in Potomac on Friday afternoon. As I was signing out, I was fortunate enough to meet the front office staff. In the picture, wearing their cool school shirts are Beth Brown, Principal,. Denice Etheridge, Administrative Secretary, me and Amy Alonso, Assistant Principal. Ms. Alonso was also the one who had the

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-46616516689481147852008-04-29T13:43:00.003-04:002008-04-29T14:00:04.469-04:00

The tornadoes in SE Virginia yesterday are a harsh reminder that we can have tornadoes in the area. In fact, it was 6 years ago exactly, April 28, 2002, that La Plata in Charles county was struck with an F4 tornado. That day 5 lives were lost. Yesterday, more than 200 were injured, but it appears that no one was killed. Perhaps it was the early warning by the weather service or just dumb luck,

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-62746075705431206912008-04-25T12:07:00.003-04:002008-04-25T20:59:05.995-04:00

I have received more tips from Master Gardener Sandy Farber. I am a huge believer in mowing high and mulching. The second tip talks about dandelions, but I have very few, so I usually just manually remove those. Please be very considerate of the environment when using chemical herbicides and fertilizers and if you find an organic fertilizer or herbicide that works well for you, all the

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Many of us are working on the yards now that Spring has sprung. There's something nice about seeing a good looking lawn and garden area that you have worked on.I'm lucky that I have a friend who is a Master Gardner. Sandy Farber is also a DC Extension Office agent and she is a wealth of information. She recently e-mailed this tidbit.I am getting a number of calls about turf and reseeding. Here is

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I know it rained like we were living in the tropics on Sunday and Monday, but the 1"-4" across the area still aren't enough. We have managed to climb back even for the year with our rainfall, but we are still down about 6" from 2007's drought and the groundwater levels are still below average. The top soil looks good and farmers and gardeners are pretty happy at this point. My lawn looks

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-56734344551135240482008-04-18T10:17:00.004-04:002008-04-18T10:42:28.064-04:00

I marked my calendar, actually Helaine kept track, but today is the day that I can donate again. I am proud that I gave 5 pints last year. Ultimately you can give 6 because you have to wait 8 weeks. (I suppose you could squeeze 7 in one year if you start the first week of January and are very disciplined). I actually gave last December up on Long Island. It was a double donation of red blood

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-74758869976732835472008-04-17T12:35:00.002-04:002008-04-18T10:41:33.428-04:00

Sure we've had a great stretch of weather lately. The flowers are blooming, the grass is growing and Spring time in Washigton has been glorious the past few days. But, and you knew a "but" was coming, this can be kind of boring to a meteorologist.We had a mild winter and we're coming off of a drought in 2007, so for a while, there hasn't been too much to talk about. It's not that I want damaging

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-9009048352093600432008-04-16T13:27:00.003-04:002008-04-16T13:50:33.341-04:00

I remember in 1980 when Al Michaels uttered the phrase "Do you believe in Miracles?". It was the moment when the U.S. Men's Hockey Team beat the Soviet Union to gain a place in the finals. It was one of those moments that stay with you. A bunch of college kids beat the legendary Soviet Union team on their way to the Gold Medal. That was 28+ years ago and for me, the Olympics have changed

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I have taken yet another step in "saving the planet". I am now composting my household waste (that I can) , and I have to thank my son, Philip.He was in the school's Environmental Club and one of the things that came out of that was the composting idea. So, Helaine bought a rubberized thing with big holes and I know have a circular thingy that rests on the ground that I will toss my degradable

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I'm not even sure that anyone will read this or for tha matter care, but as I take my initial steps in yard maintenace, I thought I'd share. I take pride in my lawn. I don;t hire a firm to do the work as I really enjoy it. I want the outside of my house to look good. It enhances the home and my neighborhood. As I said, I work at it myself, but it's not a lot of work. I've learned a few

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-51713720027511283662008-04-04T09:48:00.003-04:002008-04-04T10:48:51.085-04:00

I recently took a long trip from MD to Alabama and then back with a stop in the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. (The ride on I-40 across the NC border to Asheville is gorgeous. I also will be trying the I-26 route from TN to Asheville in the next year as I hear that it is a great ride also.)I pulled and changed the plugs on my 2002 ODY at 89,209 and I also made sure the tires were over

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Monday evening I was at a nice event at Bren Mar Park elementary school in Springfield by Landmark Mall. The event, called "Litter to Glitter" was sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 678.The emphasis for the children was on recycling and to raise awareness about trash and how we can reduce our waste. One of the Scout Masters, Bill Wilson, is in the picture with me. I'm sitting in a Go-Kart made from

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-41593752302961287472008-03-24T07:39:00.006-04:002008-03-31T21:12:15.512-04:00

Hello from Alabama. I am once again in the deep South visiting my mom and sister. Don't call it a vacation though. When I visit with relatives, I refer to it as a "Family Maintenace Tour" (FMT). While we grew up on Long Island, my sister moved here when her husband took a job after finishing medical school at Stony Brook. Mom moved here in early 2002 after Dad died.With Helaine's family still on

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-38615406109617127632008-03-17T14:40:00.004-04:002008-03-17T14:52:08.553-04:00

My son's birthday is coming up in early May, so we are at the planning process. I won't get into all of the details, but Helaine and I were discussing invitations. Actually, she was doing most of the research and I was the sounding board.Invitations can be costly. The cheap ones were 50 cents each (blanks), and others cost more than 1 dollar a piece. This party is going to cost me enough without

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-46263360186619108482008-03-13T12:42:00.002-04:002008-03-13T12:49:55.768-04:00

I have a fun job. There are times I get to do things that I think the average person doesn't get to do. Earlier in the week, the good people from Busch Gardens were on a media tour to promote the parks opening for the season on March 21st. Rob Yordi, one of the conservationists showed up with a bunch of different animals that we talked about. The interview will air Sunday morning March 16

Howard Bernstein, 9 Weather Nowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708473704515531481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7053529238039345384.post-72451620046031005842008-03-09T09:04:00.005-04:002008-03-09T19:30:06.056-04:00

Even though we have temperatures in the 20s this Sunday morning, I keep running into more and more signs of Spring. Last week, I saw the first advertisement for fertilizer in the big LOWES ad supplement. We also had a visitor in studio who reminded me that the season is near. Rob Yordi, with Busch Gardens, was in town with a bunch of animals to remind us of all of the conservation work that Busch

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