Through their strong work ethic and faith in God—and in each other—the Sapp brothers rose above early adversity to become some of the most respected and successful leaders in the Midwest. Forming the Sapp Brothers Truck Stops in the 1970s and going on to build the Sapp Brothers Petroleum Company, this family has been a Nebraska legend that built business for the state and invested in many state-sponsored organizations. Their "coffee pot" water tower is a symbol of their first truck stops and a Nebraska icon. Keeping integrity and humility as the focus of their professional and personal lives throughout the years, the Sapp brothers have proven that nice guys can finish first and that the American dream is still alive and well.
Follow the backroads, the historical paths, and the scenic landscape that were fashioned by geologic Ice Ages and traveled by Big Thicket explorers as well as contemporary park advocates as you explore this diverse area. From Spanish missionaries to Jayhawkers, and from timber barons to public officials, travel along fifteen tours, with maps included.
Television shows like CSI, Forensic Files, and The New Detectives make it look so easy. A crime-scene photographer snaps photographs, a fingerprint technician examines a gun, uniformed officers seal off a house while detectives gather hair and blood samples, placing them carefully into separate evidence containers. In a crime laboratory, a suspect's hands are meticulously examined for gunshot residue. An autopsy is performed in order to determine range and angle of the gunshot and time-of-death evidence. Dozens of tests and analyses are performed and cross-referenced. A conviction is made. Another crime is solved. The credits roll. The American public has become captivated by success stories like this one with their satisfyingly definitive conclusions, all made possible because of the wonders of forensic science. Unfortunately, however, popular television dramas do not represent the way most homicide cases in the United States are actually handled. Crime scenes are not always protected from contamination; physical evidence is often packaged improperly, lost, or left unaccounted for; forensic experts are not always consulted; and mistakes and omissions on the autopsy table frequently cut investigations short or send detectives down the wrong investigative path. In Forensics Under Fire, Jim Fisher makes a compelling case that these and other problems in the practice of forensic science allow offenders to escape justice and can also lead to the imprisonment of innocent people. Bringing together examples from a host of high-profile criminal cases and familiar figures, such as the JonBenet Ramsey case and Dr. Henry Lee who presented physical evidence in the O. J. Simpson trial, along with many lesser known but fascinating stories, Fisher presents daunting evidence that forensic science has a long way to go before it lives up to its potential and the public's expectations.
Eight years have passed since Lila Raspreno and Anderson Olm raided Banbury's compound to rescue Lila's adopted son, Nate. Eight years since they discovered Arlo, another one of Banbury's genetic experiments amid the chaos. Eight years since Lila and Andy became bound to one another. So many questions were answered, while others were left to fester. Including the future of SAPP; the School of the Advancement of Practical Psionics and Lila herself. Arlo Anderson Olm, the genetic and adopted son of Lila and Andy who has just turned 8, is experiencing violent dreams from those first few tumultuous months of his life as his powers intensify and can't be controlled. A new-comer, Billy, a young Psion of Korean descent, moves in with the already stressed Olm clan when Lila decides he needs specialized attention. Then there is Nate and his partner, Jonah, who is already disabled and suffers a devastating mental snap. It seems like everything is happening at once and Lila isn't sure how much more she can take
The third verse of “Silent Night” describes God’s interaction with us as being like “radiant beams from Thy holy face.” He’s constantly giving us amazing little touches that make a big difference in our lives. I call those “radiant beams” and put them into story form. Hope you like! When the solution to a problem drops out of nowhere . . . when you “hear” a still, small voice speaking to your heart . . . when a coincidence leaves you laughing and shaking your head . . . that’s God. Let’s celebrate the joy of living, blessed by the sweetness and love of the Light of the World. ~ Susan Darst Williams, Mount Laundry, Nebraska
Twins are forced to confront a violent secret from their past in Jenna Blum's first novel since her runaway bestseller, Those Who Save Us How far would you go to protect a sibling-and at what cost to yourself? In Those Who Save Us, Jenna Blum proved herself a master storyteller with brilliant insight into the spectrum of human emotion. Now, Blum turns her sights to the most intimate and mysterious of family relationships-that between twins-in her powerful and provocative second novel. As a teenager, Karena Jorge had always been the one to look out for her twin brother Charles, who suffers from bipolar disorder. But as Charles begins to refuse medication and his manic tendencies worsen, Karena finds herself caught between her loyalty to her brother and her fear for his life. Always obsessed with the weather-enraptured by its magical unpredictability that seemed to mirror his own impulses—Charles starts chasing storms, and his behavior grows increasingly erratic . . . until a terrifying storm chase with Karena ends with deadly consequences, tearing the twins apart and changing both of their lives forever. Two decades later, Karena gets a call from a psychiatric ward in Wichita, Kansas, to come pick up her brother, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to for twenty years. She soon discovers that Charles has lied to the doctors, taken medication that could make him dangerously manic, and disappeared again. Having exhausted every resource to try and track him down, Karena realizes she has only one last chance of finding him: the storms. Wherever the tornadoes are, that's where he'll be. Karena joins a team of professional stormchasers-passionate adventurers who will transform her life and give her a chance at love and redemption—and embarks on an odyssey to find her brother before he reveals the violent secret from their past and does more damage to himself . . . or to someone else. Watch a Video
From Lucy, the colossal elephant-shaped building on the Jersey Shore, to the grand donut atop Randy's in Los Angeles, this full-color guide profiles the commercial giants that loom over America's highways. Created to sell products and promote tourism in a big way, they can be found all over the United States. The authors have traveled far and wide to bring readers the world's largest duck in Long Island, an enormous Amish couple in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and towering Paul Bunyans all over the Midwest. There are buildings shaped like hot dogs, ice cream cones, and baskets, as well as the roadside phenomena known as "Muffler Men," giants who originally advertised mufflers but now have been converted to cowboys, Indians, spacemen, and pirates. Big fun!
