A festive holiday atmosphere at the First Presbyterian Church in Montrose was the setting for the December meeting of the Beta Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. President Dr. Ann Way conducted the business meeting and presented two recommendations for membership. They will be voted on in March and initiated in October, 2012.

The business meeting continued and included reports by committee chairs who were present. Agnes Massacesi, chairman of the nominations committee, presented the proposed slate of officers for the 2012-2014 biennium. The committee is still in need of a president to complete the slate. The nominees will be voted on at the March meeting and installed in May. Treasurer Carol Davis noted concerns about membership retention. It was suggested that a contact policy be established for members who miss two meetings. This could be one of the responsibilities of the membership committee. Cindy Wooden displayed the decorated Christmas tree that she made to represent the chapter at the Festival of Trees. The event is a silent auction for donated Christmas trees to raise money for the Montrose Adult School and was held later the same day. Barbara Davis reminded members to submit recommendations for the grant-in-aide money. Members also brought handmade items such as note cards to sell and the money raised was donated to the Schools for Africa Project.

Jan Cohen displays one of the Little Dresses for Africa which 4-H members made out of pillowcases and donated.

Jan Cohen, the Penn State Extension Family and Consumer Sciences/Family Resiliency Educator in Susquehanna County, presented a very informative power point program which highlighted her trip to Africa this summer. She had been invited to talk about her trip and the Little Dresses for Africa Project because the Beta Rho Chapter is interested in offering financial support. The International Project for DKG this biennium is “Schools for Africa.” Possible ways that the chapter can offer support would be to pay postage to ship the dresses as more are made or to purchase and ship books to the Children and Youth Empowerment Center (CYEC) in Nyeri, Kenya. The center is where Jan’s group volunteered much of their time. It is a dynamic and innovative residential and educational program for street dwelling children and other highly vulnerable young people in Africa. The Beta Rho Chapter will discuss the possible ways of support and make a decision at their March meeting.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is a professional honor society for women educators with more than 115, 000 members. Established in 16 member countries around the world, the Society defines its mission as promoting professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. The Society offers more leadership training opportunities for women educators than any other professional organization.

The next Beta Rho Chapter meetings will be on Saturday, March 10, at the First Presbyterian Church in Montrose and May 5, in the computer lab at the Tunkhannock Middle School. The March meeting will feature a program Nature in Education and will be presented by Rebecca Lesko from the Endless Mountains Nature Center. The May meeting will be a hands-on experience with Technology in the Classroom and at Home.

Other special meetings conducted at the state and international levels include the Creative Arts Retreat in White Haven on April 27-28; the Alpha Alpha State Conference at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College, June 8-10; and the Society’s International Convention in New York City, July 24-28. Members are encouraged to attend these events to take advantage of experiences beyond the chapter level.

On Christmas day, over 70 guests enjoyed a bountiful dinner provided by Endless Mountains Health System physicians, employees, friends and volunteers. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, salad, fruit and green beans were served along with many delicious desserts. EMHS started this free dinner in 2000 to offer food and fellowship to everyone, so no person would be alone on Christmas day.

The guests were welcomed by Dr. Ellis Rucker and the blessing was offered by Father Paul Walker. Each place setting contained a card made by the “Adventure Club” of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Montrose along with a stocking filled with goodies made by Cub Scouts of Pack 92, Montrose. Randy Webster provided keyboard music during dinner and accompanied the group singing carols, directed by Renee Tyler. A raffle of centerpieces and poinsettias was enjoyed by everyone!

Susquehanna County Farm Bureau won the prestigious “60 Years and Growing Award” at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau annual meeting in Hershey, PA in November. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon a County Farm Bureau among Pennsylvania’s 54 county farm bureaus. They won “2011 President’s Award”(counties with less than 400 regular farm members) for County Board Organization, Leadership Development, Policy Development & Implementation. They received “2011 Overall Achievement Award” and “2011 County Level Program Award” for excellent performance in County Board Organization, Leadership Development, Outreach & Education, Policy Development & Implementation, Media Relations & Member Communication, Services and Membership Goal.

Susquehanna County was very well represented on the delegate floor by Donna Williams, Pauline Fallon, Jim and Kim Barbour, Cheryl Matulevich, Thom and Tootie Helmacy, Bill Ord, Janice Webster and Tom Wooden. The delegate floor is where policies are debated, amended and voted upon to become Farm Bureau policy. Kathie Shelly represented the county as a PFB State Promotion & Education Committee member. Kim Barbour attended the County Secretary Workshop. Donna Williams served as Chair of PFB Nominating Committee and member of Delegate Credentials Committee. There were eleven different workshops that any Farm Bureau member could attend and covered a wide range of topics such as Lyme Disease, Pennsylvania Preferred program, Marcellus Shale and Agriculture, Manure Management Manual just to name a few.

After seven years, Dave Williams from Wayne County completed his term as Director on the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Board where he also served on the Executive Committee. Pauline Fallon, from Susquehanna County Farm Bureau, was elected as a Director to the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Board. Pauline will represent District 1 which consists of Susquehanna, Wayne/Pike, and Wyoming/Lackawanna counties.

Pauline and her husband are dairy farmers with over 400 head of livestock. She is a 5th generation dairy farmer and is an active member of the community. She said “I thought it was an opportunity to give a voice to agriculture from someone who lives it every day. Hopefully farmers from this district will feel comfortable in reaching out to me.”

HARRISBURG - More than 35 volunteer fire and ambulance associations in the 110th District in Bradford, Sullivan and Susquehanna counties will benefit from more than $345,000 in state grant money, Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) said.

“The state grant program that provides valuable funding for Pennsylvania’s first responders has proven to be a valuable program to help keep our communities safe,” Pickett said. “This grant program, operated by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner, is funded solely on the proceeds from the state’s slot machine gaming industry. No tax dollars are used for these grants.”

The grant money allows volunteer first response agencies to pay for the construction or renovation of a fire company or ambulance service’s primary structure; purchase or repair firefighting, ambulance or rescue equipment; pay for training; or reduce existing debt.

The following Susquehanna County departments within the 110th District received funding: Elk Lake Volunteer Fire Company, $10,059; Forest Lake Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, $9,500; Little Meadows Volunteer Fire Company, $9,500; Montrose Minute Men Inc., $5,679; Rush Volunteer Fire Department, $9,500; and United Fire Company, $9,779.

“I’d like to personally thank the dedicated volunteers of these departments, not only for filling out successful grant applications, but for the work they do year-round to respond to local emergencies and being a vital part of our community,” Pickett said.

Recently two dogs wandered out onto Lewis Lake in Union Dale and two men decided to go out onto the ice with a boat, enter open water, and to rescue them. They got the dogs in the boat and then became stranded, wet and cold with hypothermia. The Susquehanna County 911 Center received a call and dispatched the Union Dale Vol. Fire Company/Water Rescue Team.

It takes a very well trained group and proper equipment to handle this type of situation. The team applied all of their training and gear in order to make contact with the stranded men and dogs, and pulled them to shore. The men were taken to CMC by Forest City ambulance and cottage paramedics. The dogs were taken by friends and family to an emergency vet clinic in Clarks Summit. One dog did not make it, the other is doing well.

The Union Dale Vol. Fire Company/Water Rescue Team would like to remind people to think before acting around water and ice this season. Keep the following ice safety tips in mind.

Call 911 if you need help and it does not look safe.

Dress in layers for cold weather. Cotton is not good because it holds moisture.

Always wear a PFD (personal floatation device) when near or on ice and water.

Stay warm. Once you start getting cold it may be time to go inside and get warm before it is too late - hypothermia can sneak up on you.

3-4 inches of solid clear ice is needed to support the average person; 5-6 inches is needed to support a snowmobile; 7+ inches is needed for a small group of people (stay spread out); and 9+ inches is needed for multiple snowmobiles. Remember that ice depth varies from area to area and depends on many factors.

If the ice starts to crack and fail you should lay down to disperse your weight and crawl to the shore. Or, stay put and call for help.

Anyone on ice should have the minimum of a PFD and pair of ice awls in case they fall in and need to do a self rescue.

The officers and members of the Union Dale Vol. Fire Company urge everyone to be careful and follow these ice safety tips before putting themselves or others in danger.

Chloe Elizabeth Bixby, daughter of Shannon and Tyler Bixby, Susquehanna, PA, was born Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 1:15 p.m. She was the first new year baby born at Moses Taylor Hospital!

Chloe was 6 lbs., 8 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long at birth.

Pizza ovens at two area restaurants were humming December 22 as people took part in “Pizza Day for Literacy.” For every pizza pie purchased at Acre Lake General Store in Kingsley or Uncle Charlie’s Bella Pizza in New Milford, the owners donated a dollar to the Susquehanna County Literacy Program.

Because of state and federal cutbacks, the program needs other funds in order to continue to provide necessary services such as GED preparation, one-on-one tutoring and family literacy. As Linda Hayes, mother of the owner of Acre Lake Store pointed out, the Susquehanna County Literacy Program is vital to helping those in the county grow and get jobs, especially with GED support.

The one day event raised nearly $300 in pizza pie sales, through donations jars and additional private donations.

The Susquehanna County Literacy Program wishes to thank everyone who supported this event and continues to support their work. For more information about services or how you can help, call (570) 465-2880.

(StatePoint) Just because it isn’t summer doesn’t mean you should put away those sunglasses.

"Most people think sunglasses are just for the bright summer sun, but damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays are present year-round," says Dr. Jenna Lewis, an optometrist with VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits company in the United States. “In fact, the sun sits lower in the sky during winter, providing more exposure.”

While Americans are pretty good about wearing sunglasses in summer, most tend to ignore the sun’s harmful effects in the winter months. But UV rays are dangerous all year. Snow is reflective, and up to 85 percent of the sun’s UV rays are reflected back up into the eyes.

Those UV rays damage eyes the same way they damage skin, and can cause cataracts, macular degeneration and cancerous growths both inside and around the eyes, all of which can cause blindness.

However, much of the damage the sun causes can be prevented simply by wearing sunglasses that block 100 percent of UV rays.

Start Young. UV damage is cumulative over time and doesn’t heal, so start protecting your eyes from the sun now. That includes making sure children are outfitted with sunglasses and protecting eyes of all ages from the sun all year.

Most UV damage occurs before age 18, but less than 30 percent of children wear sunglasses.

“In the winter, parents aren’t slathering their kids with sunscreen, and are instead bundling them up with coats and scarves,” says Dr. Lewis. “So sunglasses aren’t intuitively top of mind, but they should be.”

Check The Label. Make sure your sunglasses are 99-100 percent UV-rated. Tinted sunglasses won’t provide UV protection unless they have a UV rating on the label. Wearing tinted glasses that are not actually protective allow the pupils to dilate, which lets more radiation in the eyes than wearing no sunglasses at all.

Also, the more coverage the frame provides, the more protection you will receive. You may also want to get polarized lenses, which cut down on glare, if you live in a snowy area or by water.

“When the sun is shining on the snow, it’s almost impossible to see, let alone drive without sunglasses,” cautions Dr. Lewis. “And that’s a real safety hazard.”

Be Functional in Style. Different color lenses work better for different conditions. For example, yellow lenses are great for skiing since they filter out blue light that can make focusing difficult. Green lenses are great for general outdoor use, and brown/amber lenses enhance depth perception, making them good for driving and sports. You can learn more at www.vsp.com. Or see your local eye doctor, who can help you find the right shades for your needs - particularly if you prefer the convenience of prescription lenses.

Just remember as you’re bundling up this winter to make sure your eyes don’t go naked!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors is urging the public to be cautious when handling hot liquids and soups. Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries and children, older adults and people with disabilities are especially at risk.

“In winter, there’s nothing as comforting as a warm cup of soup,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of communications for NFPA. “But if you’re not careful this simple meal can turn painful.”

Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries. According to the study “Instant Cup Of Soup: Design Flaws Increase Risk Of Burns” released by the Journal of Burn Care & Research, prepackaged microwavable soups, especially noodle soups, are a frequent cause of scald burn injuries because they can easily tip over, pouring hot liquid and noodles on the person.

“It is amazing that many people believe that hot water is not a common cause of severe burns. For a child, it is the most common burn injury. Scalds are almost always preventable. When they occur, a child may be scarred for life. Next time you are cooking or even holding a cup of coffee in your hand think about the small ones below you,” said Dr. David Greenhalgh, a co-author of the study and Chief of Burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California and UC Davis Medical Center.

“We see the devastating and sometimes lifelong consequences of scalds every day. It is important to remind the public to take precautions to avoid injury,” said Amy Acton, executive director of the Phoenix Society. A scald injury can happen at any age. To help prevent scald injuries, NFPA and the Phoenix Society offer some safety tips:

Teach children that hot things can burn.

Test the water at the faucet. It should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius).

Always supervise a child in or near a bathtub. Before placing a child in the bath or getting in the bath yourself, test the water. Test the water by moving your hand, wrist and forearm through the water. The water should feel warm, not hot, to the touch.

Place hot liquids and food in the center of a table or toward the back of a counter.

Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried. Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.

Allow microwaved food to cool before eating and open it slowly, away from the face.

Choose prepackaged soups whose containers have a wide base or, to avoid the possibility of a spill, pour the soup into a traditional bowl after heating.

Treat a burn right away. Cool the burn with cool water for 3-5 minutes. Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help if needed.

For more information on reducing the risk of these types of burns, view NFPA’s scald prevention tip sheet at www.nfpa.org/safetytips.

On January 2, Sea Scout Ship 90, the “North Star” of New Milford held their 70th Bridge of Honor aboard their land ship in the Sea Scout Hall, New Milford. It was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of sea scouting which started in Boston and Philadelphia in 1912. In New Milford, sea scouting was organized in 1943 by skipper Roger Shepherd.

After the port and starboard crews boarded the land ship, skipper Chuck Jaget was piped aboard and inspected the crews with boatswain Christian Chludzinski.

From left, Josh Warner and Tiffany Spencer, who earned the Able Seaman rank in sea scouting.

New sea scouts signed the ship’s log and the following awards were presented by skipper Chuck Jaget and first mate Helen Reed. Small-boat handler ratings were awarded to: Katelyn Grubb, Destiny Sterling, Katie Greene, Diana Stude, David Stude and Anthony Miller. Qualified Seaman ratings were awarded to: Coral Brady, Zoe Gauthier, Katie Greene, Chris Powers, David Stude, Tiffany Spencer, Helen Reed and Joe Stude. The Apprentice Sea Scout Rank was awarded to Katie Green; and the very difficult and prestigious rank of Able Sea Scout was awarded to Josh Warner and Tiffany Spencer. Long Cruise awards and merit badges were also presented. New second mate Judy Dennis was introduced by the skipper.

Sea scout Christopher Powers was presented the Silver Anchor award by skipper Charles Jaget for his long service, enthusiasm, dedication, always being on board for all of the scout’s sailing adventures and canoe trips, and recruiting many new sea scouts into the crew. This is a special Ship 90 award and few are presented!

From left, Vice Commodore Jessica Gall and husband Dan Gall. Dan serves as a machinist mate on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Interprise. Both hold the highest rank in sea scouting of Quartermaster. Dan is a Third Mate for Ship 90, New Milford and Jessica serves as Mate for Ship 198, Lewes, Delaware.

The North-East Regional Vice Commodore Jessica Gall from Virginia Beach, VA was piped aboard. She filled Ship 90 in on the 100th sea scout celebration and sailing activities to take place in Baltimore Harbor this July for six days. Jessica then recognized Ship 90 for earning the 2011 National Flagship Fleet Award from the National Sea Scout Committee & Boat U.S. Only four sea scout ships earned this honor in 2011. The award consisted of a new 3’x5’ ship’s ensign (flag), patches for all sea scouts and officers, and a special cake baked with the scout’s new flag design on it! Council Commodore Ron Hall then presented a special certificate from Senator Elizabeth J. Baker of the Senate of Pennsylvania for achieving this significant accomplishment and a special award to skipper Chuck Jaget for keeping the ship on an even keel so this award could be earned.

Even though the weather was bad, a good turn out of sea scouts, officers and parents were on board and enjoyed the special cake, pizza, finger food, soda and coffee donated by the parents.

Hello from Turnpike Terrace. Happy New Year to everybody!

We were very busy up here in December. We had a Christmas bazaar, then two dinners - one for the volunteers and one for all of the tenants. We had music for both of them and Santa Claus came for one of them. It was a lot of fun.

We went to the Mason’s turkey dinner. They always do so good by us.

We’ve had music, and we got home made Christmas cards also.

We’ve gotten a few new tenants, and we also lost one, Josie Wolf. Our hearts go out to her family.

Our Christmas decorations are coming down for another year.

Bob, my bird, spent six weeks in Johnson City while I recuperated from hip surgery. He’s back home. He pouted for a while, but he’s acting better now. I think he thought I deserted him. I believe we have about 15 pets among us up here. We have our own menagerie up here!

We’ve gotten some snow and cold weather, but we have been lucky so far this winter.

Take care and see you soon.

The Women of the Moose (WOTM) Chapter 2390, Susquehanna, completed a number of charitable endeavors this past year.

12 “Tommy Moose” were given to the Susquehanna Fire and Ambulance Co. to help calm children in traumatic situations.

Ten children were the recipients of school backpacks filled with supplies at the beginning of the school year.

Then came the flood - the WOTM, along with Moose Lodge 794, set up a donation center collecting cloths, non-perishable food and cleaning supplies for flood victims.

At Thanksgiving, along with the help of Brittany Glover and Kasey Williams who were working on their senior project, a food drive was held. The WOTM were able to provide four families with dinners.

Christmas was no different, the WOTM “giving tree” brightened Christmas for about 25 children in our community.

You can join the Women of the Moose, Susquehanna - new ideas and help are greatly appreciated. If interested, contact Linda Bedford at 853-3584.