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HEADLINES: Farm
Bureau Goes To Washington County Farm Bureau delegations met with our legislators in Washington, DC on March 19 and 20. Cong. Don Sherwood devoted an hour to discussing issues with our delegation. Cong. Sherwood will co-sponsor H. R. 57 (elimination of Death Taxes). He supports continuation of stepped-up basis and will co-sponsor H.R. 927 (Farm and Ranch Risk Management Accounts). He supports an Energy Bill, Renewable Fuels Standard, reauthorization of Transportation Bill and has introduced H.R. 1160 addressing milk protein concentrates. He is most concerned about health care and health insurance issues and is monitoring and studying association health plans legislation and federal budget ag cuts. He pledged to protect and promote programs for his District, such as ag programs, conservation, hospitals and weatherization. Cong. Sherwood commented, "The world has changed, the rules have changed." Pictured (l-r) are: Brian Manning-Wyoming/Lackawanna County Farm Bureau, Barney Wilkins, Donna Williams, Cong. Don Sherwood and William Brooks. Williams, Wilkins and Brooks are Susquehanna County Farm Bureau National Legislation Committee members. Our delegation had the honor and privilege of presenting Cong. Sherwood, a member of the 107th Congress with the "Friends of Farm Bureau Award." Cong. Sherwood’s voting record (88.24% support of Farm Bureau issues) is most appreciated. Michelene Klim spent time with the delegation members who visited with Sen. Specter. A few of his stands included the following: repeal of Death Tax - he supported this in the last Congress and probably will again, Farm & Ranch Risk Management Accounts - he probably will support the Grassley-Baucus bill, Energy bill - he will probably support RFS and is monitoring the proposed ethanol plant in York County, milk protein concentrate - he is co-sponsor of S.560 and is working closely with Cong. Sherwood, farm program spending cuts - he said "the budget is tight," association health plans - he will be looking at this issue. Sen. Specter supports a "Dairy Cost of Production Act," maintaining the ethanol tax credit and raising gas taxes depends on budget issues.
20 Years for Ma Barker Community Association The good heart of a local woman in Hop Bottom sparked the beginning of an Association with a name that is not often associated with good. On July 1, 1984, the Ma Barker Community Association was formed. Jack Resseguie began calling Martin Theobold "Ma Barker" when she started doing helpful and beneficial things with other friends. Marti was always in charge; organizing chicken barbecues, setting up benefits and other things that were needed to help people who had major medical problems or were facing major crisis. Folks met frequently for events of this type at the Lenox VFW at the Corners and this has now created a forum of continuing service to people in the community. When she moved to Hop Bottom, the legacy grew perpetuating the spirit of good will. Committee members are continually on the go and Marti is still in the lead. Now, she can focus on this community with other like-minded people. The Ma Barker Community Association has some very major goals, among them are to beautify and support Hop Bottom. Current officers of the Association include Theobold as President, Regina Evans, Vice President and Jacqueline Thomas, as the Treasurer. Pictured (l-r) are: Gina Evans, Jacqueline Thomas, Marti Theobold, Patricia Novicke-Schwoebel.In the past, Ma Barker put on the Hop Bottom Railroad Commemorative that, with Congressional approval, put this small Borough of barely 400 souls on the map of the United States. Members of the committee from that event were invited to a reception in Washington, DC and artifacts from that project now reside in the Library of Congress. One merely has to go to the computer and log on to Library of Congress and to the link for Folklore to find the Hop Bottom Railroad Commemorative Event and its history. Over 400 people descended on the town for a three day event that was tied into a special railroad stamp and things in small temporary museum set up for the occasion. Now Ma Baker has its own bank account as a not for profit and, games of chance license, so that it can run small games to benefit the work of this community association. A 50/50 is run weekly at Rivenburg's Auction in Nicholson. Flowers for the town will be donated by Mr. and Mrs. A. Kilmer of Glenwood. Christmas flags were purchased for the town and the intention is to have flags flying for every season. Recently, American flags purchased through Ross' Feed Mill were donated to the Borough and names of the people who made the original donations will be on a plaque that will be on display in the town. Jack and Jacqueline Thomas, owners of the Family Towne Market, put the flags and their holders up and took them down for the season. A bench or two is planned for the town and there are plans for a block dance for a wonderful proposal to put special lists up during the Christmas Season to greet people as they come into the area. A recent donation of $200.00 was made to the organization that enlisted the help of Boy Scout Troop 92 to put out yellow ribbons around town to remember those fighting the war in Iraq. The ideas of the community are strongly encouraged. Anyone interested can became an associate member of the organization whether they live presently in the Hop Bottom area or just want to preserve and embellish small town memories. The association hopes that the money raised from being an associate of the organization and through donations will be available so that people can be helped without having to go through a fund-raising specific event. Membership dues and donations of any amount can be sent to Marti Theobold at Route #11, Box 1243, Hop Bottom, PA 18824. For further information please call Theobold at 289-4040 regarding MBCA. Susky Sidewalks Near Completion Mr. Padula had completed filling in the dangerous underground vaults and rebuilding retaining walls last fall. This spring he is starting with the drainage on Main St. and will begin pouring the sidewalk and curbing on Main St. at the end of May. Beyond the new sidewalks and curbing, Susquehanna Depot can look forward to historic lighting and flowering shade trees to compliment this major downtown beautification project. Pictured (l-r) are: Mayor Roberta Kelly of Susquehanna Depot and Karen McBride of the Susquehanna County Housing and Redevelopment welcoming Bob Padula of Padula & Sons, who will be completing the downtown sidewalk project this summer. Sidewalks will continue on Erie Ave., Franklin Ave., and W. Main after the Main Street portion is complete. With the many new projects set in motion, Susquehanna Depot is seeing the rebirth of revitalization and pride to help ring in its 150th birthday. BK Driver Makes It Feel Like Home Bill Deakin, driver for Barnes-Kasson, Susquehanna County Transportation, transported passengers to the train show on April 6, with a friendly greeting. Dressed in an official Erie Railroad train hat, he blew his whistle and rang his railroad bell as they boarded the bus to be shuttled to the doors of the train show at the Starrucca House. All enjoyed the "ride," and the train exhibits. Following is the list of names drawn to serve as Petit and Traverse jurors for May, 2003 to appear in the Court of Common Pleas, Susquehanna County Courthouse, Montrose, on the fifth day of May, at 9:00 a.m. Apolacon Twp: Leon T. Mock. Ararat Twp: William O’Brien. Auburn Twp: Mary Ann Furman. Bridgewater Twp: Debra Marie Clark, Amy Duffy, James I. Grisafi, Darryl Hoppe, John W. Lasher, Eleanor Skinner. Brooklyn Twp: Cathy A. Castrogiovanni. Choconut Twp: Sandra L. Brown, Emma K. Dutcher, Valerie D. Fish, Beth Leonard. Clifford Twp: Mary Christine Burns, Russell L. Henry, David Hoholick, Rachel M. Marquez, Gerald Monahan. Dimock Twp: Lorna L. Schopperth. Forest Lake Twp: Steve DeRiancho. Franklin Twp: Joseph DeVito. Gibson Twp: Barbara T. Alesky, Jack Braunstein, Margaret F. Wojcik, Russell W. Young. Great Bend Boro: Nancy A. Burkett, Keith A. Cross, Lois M. Loucks. Great Bend Twp: Delores M. Goff, Alexander P. Johnson, Jr. Cheryl L. Lobdell. Hallstead Boro: Christine A. Elbrecht. Harford Twp: Kelly A. Hartman. Jackson Twp: William C. Chamberlain. Lathrop Twp: Jackie L. Frantz. Lenox Twp: Ruth Barber. Liberty Twp: Rose I. English, Philip Oleniacz, Timothy R. Pruitt. Montrose Boro 1W: Ricky Gregory, Robert A. Smith. Montrose Boro 2W: Carol J. Brozonis, Mary Lee Caterson, Joel Welch. New Milford Boro: John Crawford, Christopher G. Frailey, Mark McHenry. Milford Twp: Daniel R. Darrow, Leslie I. Edwards, Jr., Virginia Gould, Carolyn L. Krause, Miles E. Krause, Sr., Justin M. Kropa, Fred Ream, Ronald Titus, Howard L. Updyke. Oakland Boro: Joan E. French. Silver Lake Twp: Camille I. Dando, Matthew C. Gregory, Thomas M. Jurista, Dennis J. O’Reilly. Springville Twp: Danielle Baker, Amber L. Peacock, Loretta A. Sickler, Tami L. Snyder. Thompson Twp: Juanita M. David, Joann Hadnagy. New Pay Option For Delinquent Taxes Susquehanna County Treasurer, Cathy Benedict, announces an on-line payment option for delinquent taxes. On the website, www.susqco.com, Tax Claim Bureau link, you will find an option to pay your delinquent taxes on-line by debiting your checking account. By clicking on this option you will find an explanation of the service and notice to call or e-mail the Tax Claim Bureau for current penalty and interest amounts. Once you have the correct payment amounts, you may go to the website link for SameDayPay to sign up for the service. Taxpayers choosing this service will be charged $3.00 per transaction. The SameDayPay service will debit your checking account this charge. DO NOT add the $3.00 charge to your delinquent tax payment. Credit for your delinquent tax payment will be made to the Susquehanna County Delinquent Tax Account. Upon notification to the Tax Claim Bureau of receipt of credit to the account, your payment information will be docketed and a receipt will be issued. While the costs for on-line credit card services were prohibitive, persons wishing to charge property tax payments to their credit cards may use their convenience checks, deposit them to their checking accounts and then use this service. Treasurer Benedict explains, "We are continually working to find inexpensive ways to improve services and increase revenues to our county treasury. The SameDayPay service is free to the county and we anticipate that property owners who are not county or state residents, especially, will find this service to be convenient." Farm
Bureau Honors Cliff Tinklepaugh Over 140 people turned out to honor and congratulate Clifford Tinklepaugh of Ararat Township for his great service to various organizations and to his community. The Susquehanna County Farm Bureau started a tradition just a very few years ago of recognizing a person each year at its annual spring meeting. Cliff more than exemplifies what is good about Susquehanna County and the world. An unselfish man, he has served the Farm Bureau, the local Granges, the Conservation District, Dairylea, as well as been an elected official in his own township and a supporter and worker for Camp Chen-A-Wanda, to mention a few of his accomplishments. PA Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff said Clifford is "the kind of man we could use more of." Chris McLaud who represents Senator Madigan, brought a citation from Senator Charles Lemmond from the PA Senate, which congratulates Clifford on those things mentioned above plus his many activities, including serving on the Republican committee, and being a member of his local volunteer fire company. "It's my pleasure to be here tonight," said PA Representative Sandra Major. The number of people attending from so many organizations, she said, "indicates how active you've been." Major outlined the various offices Cliff held in Dairylea, the 50 years and positions he's filled in Grange, and his tax collector elected position. PA Representative Tina Pickett gave Clifford a big thank you also. County Commissioner Lee Smith said he'd been acquainted with Cliff since their early teens, and I "appreciate your friendship." Smith presented a Susquehanna County Certificate of Recognition, and congratulated him on this special event for his "years of service to rural associations." Donald Stone, Supervisor from Ararat Township, thanked and congratulated him for his service to the township. Evelyn Cottrell from the Grange said that Clifford has been a Granger for 62 years and held several offices, including state level offices. She noted Clifford's dedication to his job as tax collector, as well as his compassion for fellow community members, saying he still does "house calls" when some people can't get out to pay their taxes. He's been "a great friend and neighbor to many." Alton Arnold of Farm Bureau, Wayne Oakley of Grange, and George Gardener, President of the Soil Conservation District Board, were some of the others who spoke about Cliff's accomplishments. Gardner said Clifford was a "pioneer of soil and water conservation," where he started as a director in 1962, also working on state-wide conservation programs. Kathie Shelly spoke of Clifford's many services also, and has been working to have a stream named after him. The stream has been checked out by DEP in Wilkes Barre and Harrisburg and "will become Tinklepaugh Creek." She noted, however, that they "can't name it after Clifford because he is living, so are naming it after his family, but we really know it is after Cliff." Ararat and Gibson Townships have already signed resolutions saying they have no objections, so it is practically a done-deal. Russ Gunton, Regional Director of the PA Department of Agriculture, commented on Cliff's "faithful service to Susquehanna County." Gunton continued, "I consider you a good friend and I know you'll keep up the good work." "We all wish we were the type of person that could live up to your standards," said Bill Bayne, President of the Township Officials Association. Clifford himself said that there have been "so many opportunities in life to do things." For one, he said, he's "never missed voting." Peoples Bank Hosts Employee Recognition Peoples National Bank held its annual Employee Recognition dinner on Wednesday, April 9 at the Montrose Bible Conference. There were 122 employees, directors, and associate directors in attendance. Twelve employees and one associate director were new to the bank since last year’s dinner. President, Jack Ord presented an overview of Peoples National Bank’s performance in 2002 and an outlook for 2003. The following awards were presented to employees. Service Awards: 5 Years - Joe Ferretti, Fred Malloy, Lori Moore; 10 Years - Barb Pompey, Patty Button, Penny Clark; 15 Years - Debbie Benson, Jackie Murray; 20 Years - Judy Keiser, Judy Krafjack; 45 Years - Sandy Johnson. Perfect Attendance Awards: Jessica Bajkowski, Debbie Benson, Tom Bush, Lauretta Button, Helen Calabro, Elizabeth Colwell, Lori Conarton, Marj Eberly, Judy Krafjack, Steve Lawrenson, Martha Morris, Jack Ord, Linda Place, Barb Pompey, Barb Reynolds, Mick Saravitz, Holly Singer, Connie Smith, Steve Stranburg, Marlene Tomcykoski, April Walker, Debbie Thomas, Audrey Rickard. Diploma Awards for employees who earned banking diplomas in 2002: Elizabeth Colwell, Heather Colwell, Wendi Gordon, Rondalin Mooers, Lori Moore, Jackie Murray, Lori Sampson, Debbie Thomas, Marlene Tomcykoski, April Walker, Debbie Chidester, Jason Miller, Roxie Connelly, Nina Bills, Nina Lake, Lisa Willchock. There were also 59 certificates given out to employees who earned "A" grades in classes that were taken in 2002. Teller Accuracy Awards: Audrey Carr, Penny Clark, Martha Morris, Nina Bills. Platform Accuracy Award: Lori Sampson. Administrative Support Awards: Anna Recene, Maria Marshman. Top Sales Performance Awards: Jason Miller, Bonnie Phelps, Judy Krafjack, Darlene Slocum, Lois Rice, Barb Pompey, Ronda Mooers, Beth Bluhm, Amy Walsh, Debbie Chidester, Barb Stockholm, Tom Bush, Linda Place, Samantha Hayward, Sue Rosenkrans, Martha Morris, April Walker. Katie Sherman and Helen Calabro each won the grand prize drawing of an extra week of vacation. Local United Way Breaks Record The United Way of Susquehanna County is pleased to announce a record breaking first quarter distribution of nearly $18,000 for 2003. This amount exceeds last year’s first quarter distribution by 61%. Donations were distributed to nonprofit agencies throughout Susquehanna County. Member nonprofits received a significant increase over last year’s allocation; this is noteworthy considering the United Way is serving an additional nine partner agencies during 2003. The United Way is a nonprofit agency that runs its annual fundraising campaign from September through December. Tax-deductible donations come in the way of business and corporate donations, individual donations, and contributions through payroll deductions. According to Barbara Hinkley, director of the board, "We realized a total of $80,000 in pledges during our 2002 campaign which is nearly a 50% increase over last year. We can’t thank those enough who made a donation. It shows how much people in Susquehanna County care about their communities. We believe we can reach $500,000, within five years, so have a lot of work left to do and we can sure use some help." The United Way staff is currently organizing its campaign cabinet for the 2003 campaign. Anyone interested in being part of the campaign, or companies wishing to partner with or learn more about this much-needed countywide service, should contact Joe Burke at 278-3868. Agencies receiving a first quarter distribution include: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Red Cross, Baden-Powell Boy Scouts, Barnes-Kasson Hospital, CareNet, Creative Adventures for Education, End of Day After School, Endless Mountain Theater Company, Friends of Salt Springs, Habitat for Humanity, Hemodialysis Patients of NE PA, Montrose Restoration Committee, E. L. Rose Conservancy, Scranton Pocono Girl Scouts, Self Discovery Wellness and Arts Center, Susquehanna County Humane Society, Susquehanna County Interfaith Wardrobe, Susquehanna County Library Association, Susquehanna County Literacy Council, Tri-County Human Services, United Way Endowment Fund, Volunteer Action Center of NE PA, Wildlife Rescue. A daughter, Elizabeth Ann Stewart, was born Friday, March 28, 2003 to proud parents, Eugene Stewart and Ann Kemmerer, Susquehanna. Welcoming Elizabeth were siblings Mariah, Jed and Jared Stewart, and Kirsten, Kyla and Mary Kemmerer. Congratulations, Elizabeth Ann! In last week’s issue of the County Transcript, Barney Wilkins was incorrectly identified as Gibson Township Democratic Committeeman; his wife, Melissa holds this position. We regret the error.
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