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Issue Home May 12, 2010 Site Home

COLUMNS:
100 Years Ago
From the Desk of the D.A.
The Healthy Geezer
Library Chitchat
Rock Doc Break The Glass, Douse The Flames
What’s Bugging You?
Dear Dolly
Earth Talk
Barnes-Kasson Corner


100 Years Ago

THOMPSON: The commencement exercises of the Thompson Graded school were held in the M. E. church Friday evening. Those graduating were Ethel Sanford, Nora Brown, Ruth Crosier, Rachel Potter, Esther Garvey and Maynard Van Horn. Dr. Kemp, principal of the East Stroudsburg State Normal, delivered the commencement address.

HEART LAKE: The opening dance of the season will be held at the Heart Lake pavilion Memorial Day evening. Music will be furnished by Mahon’s orchestra.

UNIONDALE: Harry Orce lost a cow last week, valued at $60. It is quite a loss for a farmer to lose a cow, when it takes 200 bushels of potatoes to pay for another.

SUSQUEHANNA: The Erie telegraph operators received the welcome announcement that in the future their working day would be 8 hours. The working day used to be 12 hours and later was cut to ten. The 8-hour day affects only those who are connected with the movement of trains, and is in compliance to the state law.

MONTROSE: Chas. E. Roberts, who represents the Ford automobile in this county, has lately received machines for Edward Lott, of Dimock; G. E. Carey, of South Montrose; and Willis Gould, of Birchardville. Mr. Roberts is making big sales in the famous Ford machines and there are a number more contemplating buying before the season is over. F. A. Davies, Esq., has purchased a beautiful Reo Touring car of Cooley & Son and will very soon be in the “Honk Honk” class.

AUBURN: Benjamin [Blennie] Hay had a narrow escape from death or serious injury on Wednesday of last week. He was leading a four-year-old Guernsey bull, owned jointly by himself and E. T. Smith, when the animal, without warning, plunged at him. He was thrown to the ground and a gash several inches long torn in his thigh and other lesser cuts and bruises sustained. Fred Lea and Frank Snover, who were within calling distance, came to his rescue and the angry brute was finally subdued. His injuries, while painful, are not serious.

SPRINGVILLE: The body of Amanda Turrell, an aged colored lady, formerly of this place, was brought here last week for burial. ALSO Workmen are putting new cross arms on the poles of the Bell telephone line and will string wires into Montrose. ALSO Stuart Riley is digging a ditch and will lay pipe to bring water from a spring on A. C. Grow’s lot down to his house.

CLIFFORD: Ice cream will be served in Finn’s hall Saturday evening.

MIDDLETOWN CENTRE: Joe Leary and sister Kate were shopping in LeRaysville Tuesday.

BRACKNEY: J. H. Nolan died in the Binghamton City Hospital of pneumonia. A widow and eleven small children survive. The funeral will be held this morning from St. Augustine’s church, Silver Lake. His age was 48 years.

FOREST LAKE: Ed Kane has made a log drag, and used it from his home to the corners and it worked so successfully and made his roads look like state roads, he has discontinued the use of it. Us it, Ed, it will be appreciated by all.

LIBERTY TWP.: Halley’s comet has made its appearance in this vicinity and although some have made the remark that it is not worth getting out of a warm bed to see, it is a beautiful sight with its long shining tail. We would say to others that they must have been like some in this place, who have been watching the morning star and calling it the comet. The writer has seen it (the comet) three times without the aid of a telescope and it didn’t take much patience either.

NORTH BRIDGEWATER: Jesse Noble and family left here this week for their new home in Kansas. What is our loss we trust will be another one’s gain.

HALLSTEAD: The old Lusk barn, a famous landmark on the farm just east of here, is being razed to make room for a more modern and up-to-date structure.

JESSUP TWP.: J. W. Bolles, who lives on the road between Fairdale and Montrose, has a very intelligent dog. He will let the family know when their phone calls, 4 short and 1 long.

FOREST CITY: Marion, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. John Maxey, died May 7 from peritonitis. Deceased was 16 years of age. Interment made in Maplewood Cemetery, Carbondale.

DIMOCK: James Greenwood is contemplating electric lights around his potato patch. ALSO Dr. G. W. Norris, of Philadelphia, has been at his summer home, Woodbourne, for several days.

ST. JOSEPH: Miss Ellen Kane says her father, Michael Kane, commenced taking the Montrose Democrat when he commenced keeping house in 1837, and he died in 1862, and Miss Ellen Kane has continued taking the paper ever since, except one year ago she stopped the paper but thinks now she couldn’t do without her weekly visitor. Young lady, when he speaks to you about it say Yes, and start on a 73 year journey, and if possible, break the record.

SCRANTON: David J. Nelson, a colored man, who during the Civil war times was active in the work of the Montrose station of the “underground railroad,” which aided slaves in escaping from the South to Canada, died on Friday at his home in Scranton. Mr. Nelson was born in Ithaca, NY, 77 years ago, and as a free man entered into the fight to assist those of his race who desired to escape from the slave states. For several years he aided in guiding the slaves from the station in Montrose to the New York State line, going half way to Canada with many a squad. With the breaking out of the Civil War, Mr. Nelson, then a young man, volunteered to go to the front, and for two years fought in Company C of the U. S. Colored Troops. He fought valiantly, too, and was known as one of the most courageous members of the company. Mr. Nelson was a student of the Bible, and when he wasn’t reading the Holy Writ in the Post rooms in Memorial hall, he was wont to entertain his comrades with stores of the Montrose station and his experiences. The funeral was held Sunday afternoon and was in charge of Ezra S. Griffin Post. The deceased is survived by three sons, James, of Scranton; William, of Newburg, and David.

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From the Desk of the D.A.
By District Attorney Jason J. Legg

On September 13, 1996, I began my legal career as a law clerk in federal court in Scranton. How did I end up there? Well, I suppose it was happenstance, or perhaps providence. The path to the federal clerkship actually began around 4 years earlier when I was a senior at the University of Scranton. In the fall of 1992, there was a local law firm that was looking for a student to work part-time - and the mother of the attorney who was doing the search worked at the University and she recommended me.

Frankly, at that point, I was not looking for a job as I had a lot of my plate. I was studying on my own to take the LSAT for law school admission. I was working hard toward getting both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees finished up - which involved taking undergraduate courses during the day and the graduate courses in the evening. Finally, there was the thesis paper that I had to write for the honors program, and I had gotten my advisor to agree to count the thesis toward some graduate credits provided it was a substantial academic work. I decided that working at a well-respected law firm was an opportunity that I could not miss, so I accepted the part-time position. It was a terrific educational experience. During this employment, I met attorney Thomas Vanaskie, one of the partners of the law firm, who was later appointed by President Clinton in November 1993 to a position as a judge on the United Stated District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

In my second year of law school, I decided to apply for a federal clerkship in Judge Vanaskie’s chambers. I am not sure what prompted the decision - I remember a lot of my friends were applying all over the country in an attempt to get a clerkship. It was something that I had not given a lot of time or thought about doing, and probably if I did not have the past relationship with Judge Vanaskie, I never would have done it. It is another one of those life decisions that seems so random at the time, but really made a huge difference in my life. Judge Vanaskie agreed to hire me as a law clerk - and that is how I ended up in federal court in Scranton in September 1996 - a series of coincidences that led me to a clerkship position that taught me more about being an attorney than anything I learned in law school.

If you think of any superlative for an excellent judge, then you would use it to describe Judge Vanaskie. I am at a loss to even begin to adequately describe the many attributes that make Judge Vanaskie a tremendous jurist, but I would start with essential foundation of being a person of strong moral character and faith. To this foundation, there was also diligence, patience, compassion, intellect, dedication, humility and wisdom. While I was only supposed to spend two years as a law clerk, I ended up staying for an extra year - so I was blessed to have spent three years working so closely with one of the finest legal minds in America jurisprudence. To say that I learned a lot would be a gross understatement - it was more of a transforming experience.

I remember one of the other law clerks expressing surprise that I had wanted to clerk with Judge Vanaskie as I was so conservative and Judge Vanaskie had been appointed by President Clinton. I responded that I did not want to clerk for anyone else - despite our different political affiliations. Judge Vanaskie is the paradigm for a jurist that decides cases without regard to politics. It was the law that mattered - not any agenda, personal beliefs, or political affiliations.

In August 2009, President Obama nominated Judge Vanaskie to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and he was recently confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 77 to 20. I was saddened that so many Republicans voted against his nomination, but I was thrilled with the result. I only wish that President Obama would consider him for the opening on the Supreme Court left by the retirement of Justice Stevens. And I know that this is not just the feelings of one former law clerk - but the entire legal community in Northeastern Pennsylvania feels the same way.

Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.

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The Healthy Geezer
By Fred Cicetti

Q. Does getting older make your mouth dry?

Most dry mouth is related to the medications taken by older adults rather than to the effects of aging. More than 400 medicines can affect the salivary glands. These include drugs for urinary incontinence, allergies, high blood pressure, depression, diarrhea and Parkinson's disease. Also, some over-the-counter medications often cause dry mouth.

Dry mouth can also be caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, nerve damage in the head or neck, the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome, endocrine disorders, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, anxiety disorders and depression.

Sjögren's syndrome can occur either by itself or with another autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Salivary and tear glands are the major targets of the syndrome. The result of the syndrome is a decrease in production of saliva and tears. The disorder can occur at any age, but the average person with the disorder at the Sjögren's Syndrome Clinic of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is in his or her late 50s. Women with the disorder outnumber men 9 to 1.

Q. What causes most cancer deaths?

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. It occurs most often between the ages of 55 and 65.

There are two major types of lung cancer - non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways, and each is treated differently.

Non-small cell lung cancer is more common than small cell lung cancer. Doctors treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer in several ways. Surgery is a common treatment. Doctors may also use radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Small cell lung cancer grows more quickly and is more likely to spread to other organs in the body. In order to reach cancer cells throughout the body, doctors almost always use chemotherapy. Treatment for small cell lung cancer may also include radiation therapy aimed at tumors.

Q. Who is at the highest risk of getting osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. This condition creates an increased risk of fractures.

The chances are greater if you are a woman. Women have less bone tissue and lose bone faster than men because of changes from menopause. Small, thin-boned women are at greater risk. Caucasian and Asian women are at highest risk. Age is a major risk factor because bones become thinner and weaker as you age. Heredity can also increase fracture risk.

Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 44 million Americans; about 68 percent of them are women. One out of every two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

A bone mineral density (BMD) test is the best way to determine your bone health. BMD tests can identify osteoporosis, determine your risk for fractures, and measure your response to osteoporosis treatment.

If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com.

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Library Chitchat
By Flo Whittaker

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Rock Doc
By Dr. E. Kirsten Peters

No Rock Doc This Week

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What’s Bugging You?
By Stuart W. Slocum

No What's Bugging You This Week

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Dear Dolly,

Dear Dolly,

I have a problem that is making our home a nightmare. My children, ages 6 and 8, take every opportunity to fight with each other over sharing toys. I just want them to get along and be friends. What am I doing wrong? -Nicky

Dear Nicky,

Sharing can be hard for adults too.

Look at this in stages. The first step is a change in your reaction. Before jumping in, to correct one child or the other, acknowledge the needs and desires of both children. Remember that, "children need to know that their desires are appreciated and respected. When a parent jumps in and tries ‘solve it,’ that doesn't feel good or right from the child's point of view."

Change your vocabulary. Children understand "taking turns" from a very early age. It is a more natural exchange. We talk to our infants and wait for them to take their turn and answer our silly baby talk with a much anticipated coo or smile. Taking turns with a toy means "I'm next," and that is something a child will understand.

Point out when you "catch" them taking turns and give them a high five. Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator.

Use over heard conversation to reinforce taking turns. Pick up two toys and have, for example, Bert say to Ernie, "Hey Ernie, did you see how Kid One waited for his turn to play with the computer? He really knows about taking turns."

Use every opportunity when out in public to point out people taking turns. Look at that nice teenager holding the door open and letting the lady with the stroller go through first. Wasn't that nice of him? See how that lady is waiting in line? Soon it will be her turn to get her tickets for the movie. Look at that man feeding the birds. He is being kind, sharing his peanuts with those hungry birds. First one bird gets a peanut then it's the next one’s turn.

Sharing and taking turns are difficult tasks for children ages 3 and under. Buying two of each toy will keep the peace until they mature and can grasp taking turns. Like teaching please and thank you, taking turns requires constant repetition and positive reinforcement.

All Transcript readers are welcome to submit their questions to Dear Dolly at deardolly570@yahoo.com.

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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

No Earth Talk This Week

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Barnes-Kasson Corner
By Cara Sepcoskiw

No Barnes-Kasson Corner This Week

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