A presentation was made by the New Milford Area Rotary Club of a check for the Hallstead Library. Funds will be used for new shelves.

Pictured from left to right are: John Reynolds, Rotary secretary; Toby Anderson, Library board president; Angie Houghton, Hallstead Library; Ray Telnock, Rotary president; Bob Welch, Rotary treasurer.

HALLSTEAD, PA. - Peoples Financial Services Corp. (OTCBB: PFIS) announced today that as a result of the enactment of the “Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act” (the “JOBS Act”), its Board of Directors authorized Peoples to pursue the deregistration of its common stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company is eligible to deregister because it has fewer than 1,200 holders of record of its common stock.

People’s management and Board of Directors made this decision after careful consideration and review of the cumulative costs and pros and cons of being a SEC registered company. Peoples believes that currently the incremental cost of compliance with general SEC regulations and Sarbanes-Oxley and other reporting requirements does not provide a discernible benefit to the Company and its shareholders.

Alan W. Dakey, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “The decision to deregister from the SEC was driven by a desire to achieve substantial annual savings by reducing accounting, legal and administrative costs associated with being an SEC registrant. Annual savings are estimated to be approximately $150,000 per year. However, we believe that deregistration will not affect trading in our common stock. Our stock will continue to be quoted on the OTCBB.”

After the deregistration process is completed, the Company’s quarterly and annual reports, proxy statements and current reports will no longer be filed with the SEC. The Company will continue to provide comprehensive quarterly press releases as to its financial position and financial performance. The Company will also post press releases, as well as certain quarterly and annual information on its website. The Company will continue to provide annual reports in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and proxy statements to shareholders. Peoples currently expects to complete the deregistration process during the third quarter of 2012.

Harrisburg - PennDOT will partner with state and local police in a national “Click It or Ticket” seat-belt enforcement effort through June 10.

The effort will emphasize the state’s primary seat-belt law for drivers and passengers under 18 years-old, and will include outreach to boost awareness of seat-belt safety and laws.

“With the busy Memorial Day weekend signaling the start of the summer travel season, I strongly encourage everyone to buckle up every time, no matter how far you’re traveling,” PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said. “Buckling up is the easiest way to keep you and your loved ones safe; it can increase your chance of surviving a crash by up to 60 percent.”

According to PennDOT data, 509 people died last year in unbelted crashes, a decrease from 524 such fatalities in 2010. However, the total number of crashes in which people were not wearing seat belts rose last year to 16,298, compared to 15,442 in 2010.

Police will also focus on nighttime seat-belt enforcement, as 293 unbuckled fatalities occurred last year between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., including 145 between 10 p.m. and 2:59 a.m.

“The ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign can be a very effective tool for getting people to buckle up,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. “We’re conducting this enforcement operation for one reason: we want everyone traveling on Pennsylvania roads to reach their destination safely.

“All it takes is a few seconds to buckle your seat belt. Failing to take this simple step could be the difference between a joyful summer and a tragic one, so please buckle up,” Noonan added.

Pennsylvania’s primary seat-belt law requires drivers and passengers under 18 years old to buckle up, and children under the age of four must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be in a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle.

Also, drivers and front-seat passengers 18 years-old or older are required to buckle up. If motorists are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing their seat belt, they can receive a second ticket and second fine.

More than 600 municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police will participate in the enforcement. Funding comes from part of PennDOT’s statewide distribution of $1.5 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Visit www.JustDrivePA.com for more information on seat-belt safety and PennDOT’s other important traffic-safety initiatives.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Marcellus Shale natural gas play is having a significant impact on Pennsylvania's economy, and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is helping to position students to benefit from associated employment opportunities.

Recently the college's Environment and Natural Resources Institute held a Marcellus Shale Info-Fest for students in the College of Agricultural Sciences in environment-related majors to show them what the specialized industry has to offer in the way of jobs.

This year, in particular, there are many opportunities, according to James Ladlee, extension educator and director of special initiatives for the Marcellus Education and Training Center, which is a collaboration between Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport and Penn State Extension.

"In 2011, roughly 1,900 Marcellus Shale wells were drilled, likely requiring more than 25,000 direct employees and nearly 45,000 indirect employees," said Ladlee. "State data show that since 2008, core jobs related to shale-gas development have increased by nearly 17,000 just in Pennsylvania."

Ladlee said College of Agricultural Sciences' students often represent the strong work ethic, the interest in experiential learning and the creative problem-solving skills needed for the jobs in the shale-gas arena.

"They are among those who best understand the importance of using science-based information to create a better future," he said. "All these skills are directly transferable to oil and gas exploration companies or businesses and government agencies that support or regulate gas development."

The Marcellus Shale Info-Fest touched on a wide variety of jobs and careers related to environmental implications for shale development. Those jobs can be in the gas industry, government agencies, private firms and academia.

Shale gas is emerging as a significant economic driver in many places across the country, so students have many chances to get involved, Ladlee noted. It's a relatively new industry to the East, so here the job opportunities are widely available.

"Although changes appear to be occurring, over the last several years the scale of shale-gas development in the northern tier of Pennsylvania and the southwestern part of the state was unprecedented," Ladlee said. "Those areas have been hot spots. Thousands of jobs were created just in Pennsylvania, either directly related to drilling or indirectly related to the shale-gas industry.

Penn State College of Ag Sciences students are uniquely positioned to tackle all aspects of oil and gas development, Ladlee pointed out. Students with an education or background in environmental sciences, forestry, engineering, construction, geology, biology, agricultural law, energy business or information sciences are qualified.

"If a student wants to be on the front end of an industry or regulatory system that is growing and dynamic, there are opportunities," he said. "Students can be a part of the foundation for a strong regulatory system or help to transform and create even better oil- and gas-management practices for industry from the inside.

"Students need to understand that there are opportunities. There are literally tens of thousands of jobs being created as a result of this particular energy development throughout Pennsylvania."

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The sticking point, when it comes to the current furor over the use of products given the unappetizing name "meat glue" by critics of the food industry, is labeling, according to a meat expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Operators of meat-processing plants, of necessity, adhere to a strict policy of accuracy when it comes to listing ingredients in products, noted Edward Mills, associate professor of dairy and animal science. In facilities inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, truth in labeling is very serious business.

"In the current jargon, what is being called 'meat glue' is not a processing aide, but is an ingredient," said Mills, who teaches food science courses on the science and technology of meat, poultry and seafood. "If enzymes are used as binding agents, they must be listed on the label."

He explained that in a USDA-inspected plant, the labeling is reviewed by a government inspector, and the operator is not likely to risk being charged with fraudulent labeling. "The operator could face not only a product recall or having his plant shut down, but he could go to jail if he intentionally omitted ingredients from a label."

"Meat glues" - generally two different products known by the trade names Activa or Fibrimex - commonly are used to connect pieces of fresh meat to make more uniform, attractive servings. Activa, Mills said, is a white powder form of a natural protein cross-linking enzyme called transglutaminase.

The transglutaminase enzyme is found naturally in many biological systems, including the human body. The commercial form of transglutaminase, marketed as Activa, is derived from a microorganism. Fibrimex is a natural protein cross-linking system derived from pig or beef blood. Its natural function is to coagulate or clot blood in response to injury.

"In theory, you could use this stuff to reassemble any pieces of meat into a larger piece," he said. "But the reality is that there are only certain products where it is economically feasible to use it because it is fairly expensive. What is being called 'meat glue' largely is being used to make portion-controlled, fresh-meat cuts."

As examples, he cited the binding of beef or pork tenderloins. Because these pieces of meat have irregular shapes, connecting two together results in cuts yielding slices that are more uniform and attractive.

"One use that has found pretty wide acceptance is the making of what we call restructured or reformed filet mignon," Mills said. "A tenderloin at one end is large and round but tapers to a wide, flat shape. So what is done with some frequency is to take to two tenderloins, turn one around and apply Activa powder to the surface.

"Then the two cuts are put together, wrapped with plastic for few hours or overnight until the transglutaminase enzyme in Activa forms cross-links between the two protein surfaces. The result is a long cylinder of tenderloin that is the same dimension and shape from one end to the other -- yielding nice round slices of filet mignon."

Mills noted that a similar process is conducted with turkey breasts, which are notoriously irregular in shape. Generally these products are being sold in the restaurant, food-service and institutional markets, where uniformity of shape is very important, he said.

But meat glue is not used in boneless hams or most cold cuts, Mills stressed. Reports that meat glue is found in up to a third of products such as bologna and luncheon meats are wildly inaccurate, he contended.

"There are many restructured meat products available on the market, but the vast majority are formed using the natural tendency of the muscle to re-adhere due to protein coagulation upon cooking," he said.

"So essentially all boneless hams - which are restructured products that consist of meat pieces bound together - don't include meat glue, but rather salt-soluble protein as a binding agent that is extracted from the meat surface during a process called massaging, or tumbling."

There is one aspect of the debate about meat glue and restructured meats that Mills suggests is important for consumers to understand, and that is adequate cooking. Restructured meats should be cooked thoroughly - like hamburgers and not like steaks - which makes it critical that cooks and chefs read the labels and know the difference.

"When a meat such as filet mignon is reassembled or reformed - when part of the surface becomes the center -- microorganisms are trapped inside," he said. "So it is really important that you be aware of what you're cooking and cook it appropriately."

Mills advises against cooking restructured meats to a very rare degree of doneness. He said such products may be cooked to medium-rare (defined by USDA as 145 degrees F) safely, but they must be held at that temperature for four minutes before serving.

"When a chef or cook chooses to use restructured, fresh-meat cuts, he or she should adjust cooking procedures and make sure that others in the kitchen are aware of those changes to avoid the risk of foodborne infection," he said.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - This time of year marks the migration of dining to the great outdoors - truly summer grilling and picnicking remain a great American passion.

But do it wisely, urges a food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and avoid common mistakes that make people sick every year.

Whether you are just cooking burgers on the grill or laying out an elaborate picnic spread, preparing and eating food outdoors can present opportunities for foodborne illness to spread, noted Martin Bucknavage, extension food-safety specialist.

"If you are not careful handling and preparing food outside, you can make a mistake that might result in people getting sick," he said. "Just taking a few simple precautions will insure that you, your family and guests have a great outdoor dining experience."

Bucknavage cited a few common errors people make:

Not using a thermometer to check if foods are properly cooked. "The most reliable way to see if a hamburger or piece of chicken is cooked is to use a thermometer," he said. "Unfortunately, folks often rely on color to see if a burger is done, and this will not work.

"Each year, people get infected by E. coli or Salmonella because the food was not cooked to a temperature that kills these organisms."

First, buy a good digital thermometer. Then insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to determine if it has reached the proper temperature. For hamburgers, cook to an internal temperature of at least 160 F; for chicken or other poultry, such as turkey, cook to an internal temperature of at least 165 F.

Not keeping food cold. When you go on a picnic, be sure to keep perishable foods cold, including sandwiches, sliced tomatoes, cut lettuce and sliced melons. When it is 80 or 90 degrees outside, bacteria can grow very rapidly. Put all perishable foods in a cooler with ice packs or bags of ice.

"Staphylococcus aureus is one organism, if present, that will grow and produce a toxin causing you to become extremely ill," Bucknavage explained. "By keeping foods at a temperature below 40 F, we can minimize potential issues."

Not keeping raw and cooked foods separate. This one is vital but is often overlooked, Bucknavage warned. When packing a cooler, it is important to keep raw foods - especially raw meats - in a separate cooler from ready-to-eat foods (foods that will be eaten without any further cooking).

"Too often, we try to pack everything in one cooler, and the juices from the raw meats leak onto fruits, cans of soda or buns," he said. "These raw meat juices often contain pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, and can cause infection when you consume foods or beverages that have become contaminated."

Along with this, keep utensils that have been used to handle raw meats separate from those used for ready-to-eat foods.

Not properly washing hands. "This one sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed at how often hands are a source of contamination in outdoor food preparation -- if only because it is sometimes difficult to find a place to thoroughly wash them using soap," Bucknavage said.

If you directly handle raw meats, or if your hands touch unclean surfaces, you must wash them before touching other foods or utensils. "So, be sure to have a means for washing hands if they become soiled, especially from handling raw meats," he said. "If away from home, have a source of water available along with some soap. And don't just count on antiseptic wipes."

While wipes can help, they cannot be counted on solely to remove the material that can harbor bacteria.