Santa Claus with JoAnn Clemo and her daughter Genell

The Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center recently held a Christmas Party for its residents and their families. Music was provided by Reflections along with refreshments and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus. The Party is an annual event sponsored by the Activities Department of the Nursing Center.

Romero and Jolette

Happy New Year to all and we hope you had a very happy holiday.  We are amazed at the generous donations the shelter received for Christmas.  Thank you and please continue to support our shelter in the coming year.  The animals benefit greatly and we will keep moving forward to make life better for our companions.  Pictured is Romero and Jolette.  They came in as strays from the Rushboro area.  Romero is a neutered male with a John Deere collar.  Jolette is a senior girl.  They are very sweet and need a loving home, preferably together.  If you know the owner or are interested in them please call the shelter.  It would be a great way to start the new year with new friends.  Adoption is very rewarding and challenging.  Try it!

The Susquehanna County Conservation District is pleased to announce the addition of a new employee. Laura Holbrook has been hired as Chesapeake Bay technician/resource conservationist. She is replacing the retiring and long time employee, John Benscoter. Miss Holbrook resides in North Bridgewater Township next door to her grandfather’s farm. Laura and her father provide the labor and management for the family’s Christmas tree farm, “Laura – Lynn Tree Farm. Laura is a 2010 graduate of Kings College with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Political Science and Geography. A founding member, she was also a three year president of the campus Environmental Awareness/Outdoors Club. Their community service projects included stream cleanup and recycling. Ms. Holbrook was raised in Jonestown, PA near Hershey but returned with her family to her father’s Susquehanna County roots in 2012.

As Chesapeake Bay technician, Laura’s duties include conducting farm visits to educate livestock owners on their responsibilities on manure management and erosion control. The county’s ag land preservation program is also part of Miss Holbrook’s responsibilities. Until January 15th she will be accepting applications from farm owners wishing to participate in this program.

District manager Jim Garner, when asked about his new employee commented, “We welcome Laura’s enthusiasm and look forward to her fresh ideas on carrying out her job.”

Laura Holbrook is excited to be working with the farming community and is hoping to meet many in the near future. She can be reached at the District office at 88 Chenango Street, Montrose, PA or on the telephone at 570-278-4600-ext.262.

(StatePoint) Two of the most commonly made and commonly broken New Year’s resolutions are saving money and paying off debt. These are promises we all seem to make to ourselves every year with every intention of seeing through. But somehow, we wind up in the same spot we were before.

So how can you make sure that 2013 is the year you take control of your finances and start making your money work for you?

Figure out what your objectives are -- be it paying off debt, buying a first home, or saving for vacation. Identifying your goals can help you stay motivated. Consider placing a visual reminder somewhere you’ll see all the time, like the refrigerator.

Many people have no idea how much money they spend monthly. Creating a spending plan is vital if you want to make your money do for you what you want it to. If you share your finances with someone else, make sure he or she is part of this process as well.

Many financial services companies offer free tools to help you easily see what you’ve been spending and ways you can save. For example, the non-profit Family Credit Management offers spending plans, savings guides and a comprehensive personal financial goals workbook that help you to lay out a strong plan in an easy way. Visit www.FamilyCredit.org to see these and other financial tools.

Make the small changes that add up to big savings. Most people have small expenses that they can live without. Maybe for you it’s a coffee every morning on your way to work. If you do this every weekday, that adds up to $1,300 per year! If that’s important to you, then fine. But if it’s not worth the annual amount you’re spending, cut the cost.

The idea is not to strip the fun from your life, but to save money on things that you really don’t care about. For more areas to save in your daily life, visit www.StopThinkSave.org.

Involve your whole family. Many parents feel the need to shelter kids from financial strain, but budgeting is an invaluable life lesson that you can teach them by including them in the process.

Ask for help! If you feel you could use some guidance, reach out to a certified credit counselor who is licensed by your state’s banking department and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Visit www.FamilyCredit.org to find a certified counselor.

Finally, figure out what to do with your newfound savings! If you’re not sure where you’d like to keep or invest your money, you can visit bankrate.com and investigate high interest, low balance requirement savings accounts.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you are on your way! Saving money is habit forming -- when you get your monthly statement and you see money building up, you’ll want to put more and more away. It’s a great way to get started on a financially successful New Year.