BELTON - The 36th annual God and Country Concert on Sunday kicked off a week of patriotic celebrations and featured The Worship Choir of the First Baptist Church Belton and The 4th Infantry Division Band from Fort Hood at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Mayborn Campus Center. “He got here to Texas as quickly as he could,” Andy Davis, the First Baptist Belton pastor said when he introduced Belton´s mayor, Jim Covington, who spoke briefly to the crowded auditorium.

Central Texas police departments appear to be flourishing with the number of officers reaching full capacity, but it could merely be a mirage. Of the 130 police officer positions in Temple, all 130 are filled, said Officer Mike Wilcox of the Temple Police Department, which brings up the question of where the officer shortages are.

PEMBERTON, Ohio - Like many farmers, Roger Burtchin is approaching an age when others are thinking about retiring. But he has no plans to stop planting corn and soybeans.

BELTON - The exodus from rural America started after World War II and hasn´t abated in subsequent decades. Cities are getting bigger and spreading out to cover what was once productive farmland. The people who farm those remaining agricultural acres are getting older. According to a 2002 census by the Department of Agriculture, the average age of an estimated 2 million U.S. farmers is 55 years old. In Bell County, the average age is 56.

BELTON - No, the Sanctified Sisters were not a female gospel singing group. They weren´t even sisters. In their day, which ran roughly from the 1860s to just after the turn of the century, the Sanctified Sisters existed as one of the most unusual and, in their own way, influential religious groups in Bell County history.

NEW YORK - Barry Bonds is as much a fixture in San Francisco as cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge, and he´ll be in his usual spot in left field when the All-Star Game comes to his home ballpark. The Giants star overcame a 119,000-vote deficit in the final days of balloting and finished 123,000 ahead of the Chicago Cubs´ Alfonso Soriano on Sunday to claim the third and final starting outfield spot for the National League.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. - Even with the silver trophy at her side, Cristie Kerr felt uneasy sharing the premonition she had all year about coming to Pine Needles and winning the U.S. Women´s Open. She might not have scripted it quite like this.

BOSTON - Kameron Loe and the Texas Rangers are midway through the season, and they actually have something to look forward to. Loe won his fourth consecutive start following a miserable first two months, and Rangers All-Star Michael Young had a pair of hits on Sunday to lead the Texas Rangers over the Boston Red Sox 2-1.

HOUSTON - The Houston Astros keep insisting they´re too talented to be sporting one of the worst records in the National League. On Sunday, they showed how good they can be. Lance Berkman homered and had four RBI, and Wandy Rodriguez won for just the third time in eight starts as the Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 12-0, their first home shutout this season.