Herrick Center – A party consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Springstein, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Tennant, R. M. Tingley and the Misses Beatrice Bates, Kate Flynn and Mildred Pellins, motored to Thompson Saturday evening, Aug. 9. This includes the Herrick Center orchestra and we hear they gave the Thompson people a musical treat.
Alford – People have been wondering why the Alford station, recently built, was not located on the cut-off line. It is stated that local business will continue to be done over the present line, the through traffic being cared for on the straight cut-off line. There will be no station on the new line from Clark’s Summit to Hallstead. Work on the cut-off is about 30 per cent completed. To date $4,000,000 has been paid by the railroad to contractors, out of an estimated total cost of $15,000,000.
Montrose – Phillip T. Lonergan, after a pleasant visit to his parents’ home, at Richmond Hill, is on his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is now officially listed as Indian agent of the Navajo and Pueblo tribes—a position he has held down for eight years. To the Indians “Phil” is the “White Chief,” their superintendent of schools, judge, jury, general protector and administrator.
Uniondale – It is stated that owing to the poor financial condition of the Tri-County Fair, held annually at Uniondale, an exhibition will not occur this year and the association may be abandoned. Until this year the fair has received a portion of the state appropriation, but under the new law but two 3-day incorporated fairs in a county shall benefit from the $2,000 appropriation. The County Fair and Harford Fair have been decided upon as the beneficiaries by the county commissioners. The Uniondale fair has drawn large crowds each year and it is to be hoped there will be some way that the fair may be continued.
Harford – Watch out for the Harford Fair. Among the many attractions this year will be a flying machine. Flights will be made the last two days. Also there promises to be a large attendance at our high school this year, as our people are being besieged for board and boarding places. [The only way children from outlying districts could continue their education, after leaving the neighborhood schools, was to board in the town where a high school was located.]
Susquehanna – The Chautauqua is being greatly enjoyed by the Susquehanna people. Those who don’t attend are missing a treat.
Clifford – The Bull Moosers, under the head of Washington party, held a meeting in Finn’s hall, Monday evening, and signed petitions for people to fill offices at the next election. The Stand Pat Republicans held their meeting Wednesday afternoon. Also At Welsh Hill, last Tuesday evening, the young people enjoyed a straw ride to Elkdale, where they were pleasantly entertained at the home of Muriel Stevens.
Lenox – The Greene family reunion was held at the residence of R. G. Jerauld on Saturday, Aug. 9. The crowd was accommodated in a large tent and a good time enjoyed by all.
East Bridgewater – The genial and widely known horseman, John Carter, has at last fallen a victim to the auto germ, and has purchased a Ford car of Agent H. M. Cole. “John” has probably owned more different horses than any other man in the county, with such a knowledge of the horses of the county, that he often made “hoss deals” without even having to look into the mouth of horses he was dealing for, and his substitution of gasoline for oats clearly shows “the world do move.”
Choconut – McCahill Bros, of Choconut Valley Inn, announce a hop for Friday evening, August 22d. The McCahills are ideal entertainers and have the finest dancing hall in the county, and the young people look forward to the hops there with pleasure.
Middletown – In Surrogate’s Court, Binghamton, Judge Baker issued letters of administration on the estate of Maggie E. Dimon, one of the garment factory fire victims, to James E. Dimon, of Middletown, a brother, and Nellie Camp, of Binghamton, a sister. The personal property is worth $250 and the real [estate] $50. The following are the surviving relatives: Fred Dimon, Little Meadows, Bernice Dimon, Friendsville, Sarah Dimon, Little Meadows, Nellie Camp, Binghamton, Mary Nevel, Little Meadows, Sarah Dimon, an infant, of Binghamton.
Elk Lake – George E. Taylor, is making plans to take up missionary work in China, and will remove his family to that far off country. Mr. Taylor tells most interestingly how he came to decide to give his life-work to extending the Lord’s kingdom. At the time of the Spanish American war he enlisted and went to Cuba. He was very lonesome and homesick and a brother later joined him in Cuba to be company for him and cheer his depressed spirit. Here the brother sickened and died, and Mr. Taylor was broken hearted and then and there vowed that, if spared to return to his home, he would consecrate his life to the Lord’s work. He felt that he had been definitely called to take up foreign missionary work, and says the decision has brought him great peace of mind. [George was the father of five sons, two being well-known in Montrose. Maurice started the Taylor band in 1922 and was hired by the Montrose School Board to form a band in 1927. He felt the need for better teaching materials and started writing his own teaching method, published as Easy Steps to the Band, and later branched into teaching methods for orchestra and individual instruments. His Easy Steps became the standard for teaching band music in many schools throughout the United States. His brother, Ralph, continued the family store, Geo. E. Taylor & Sons, until his retirement and sale of the store to the Craige family.]
Hallstead – The dry weather is driving the rattle snakes off the mountains for the river and creeks, in search of water. Mrs. C .Slater, who resides in the township, has killed three this season. There have been more killed this year than in a number of years previous.
Glenwood – The Marcey brothers are greatly improving the interior of their residence by putting in a bath room.
News Brief: Under the new game law book agents may be killed from August 1st to October 1st; spring poets from March 1st to July 1st; scandal mongers from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st; umbrella borrowers from Feb. 1st to May 1st; newspaper borrowers from Aug. 1st to August 1st, 1914; open season all the year for life insurance agents and picture peddlers.
Several months ago, I received a letter from a reader seeking some information on eminent domain law. Unfortunately, the letter sat neglected on a corner of my desk for several months and I apologize for the delay in responding. While eminent domain is far outside the field of criminal law, I will do my best to answer the questions and provide some of the basics.
First, the reader indicates that it was her understanding that “property can be taken by the state and the state would then compensate me for that property.” This basic understanding is accurate – with the caution that a governmental entity can only take private property for a public use. The courts have found that an appropriate public use for eminent domain exists only where the public itself is “the primary and paramount beneficiary of the taking.” This does not mean that there cannot be some private gain resulting from the taking – but the public good must be the primary thing being enhanced. As an example, a governmental entity could not seize your property to put up a private residence for an elected official; but it would be common for a governmental entity to seize private property for purposes of constructing or expanding a public roadway.
The reader also asked who decides if someone’s property needs to be taken – and the answer to that question initially would be the government entity seeking to take the property for some public use. The person whose public property is taken then has the ability to challenge that particular taking in court – and must show that there is not truly a public use, i.e., that the general public is not really the beneficiary of the taking.
The reader wanted to know how compensation is determined. The fastest and easiest way would be for the parties to agree – the government to make an offer and the landowner to accept it if the landowner believed that it was a fair offer. Normally, this would mean that some kind of real estate appraisal was obtained and the parties know generally the value of the property being taken. Further, a landowner also has a right to compensation for any injury that was “the immediate, necessary and unavoidable consequence” of the taking itself. This means that the value of the property may be only part of the formula – and there may be other damages that far exceed the value of the real estate itself. If the parties are unable to agree on an appropriate compensation, the matter will end up in court.
The reader wanted to know if property taxes would go down as a result of the taking – and if your property was taken and you own less of it, then your property taxes should be reduced to reflect the fact that less acreage is owned. If you have been involved in a taking, you may want to notify the tax assessment office to make sure that they are aware that you have lost some of your property to an eminent domain proceeding.
The reader wanted to know what recourse a property owner has to combat an eminent domain – either the taking itself or the lack of fair compensation. The answer is that you can pursue the matter with a challenge in court. Obviously, this involves time, money and stress that many property owners neither want nor can afford. Admittedly, some property owners are disadvantaged when they receive notice of a taking, but it is always important to make sure that you discuss the matter with an attorney prior to making any final decision regarding the resolution of such a governmental taking.
The reader ended the letter with a very telling statement: “It seems very wrong to me that someone can work their entire lives to have a home, invest money, blood, sweat and tears into a home and with no consideration the state can come along and decide at any time to take whatever they feel they need. That does not seem like the land of the free.” I suspect that the reader’s comment has been felt in the hearts of many citizens through the last several centuries that have lost property through eminent domain – it is a difficult process, but there are protections built in to assure some level of fairness of a landowner. If you are ever in such a predicament, you need to make sure that you take advantage of those protections.
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/.
“Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken.” ~Bill Dodds
Do you feel it? Those butterflies of excitement as you get everyone prepared to greet the new school year? I always experience a “New Beginning” feeling, much like the one on New Year’s Day. The thrill of infinite possibilities and promise, a chance perhaps to try something new you hadn’t even considered before. In our younger days, it was the gleam of a shiny new pencil box, a pristine tablet awaiting hours of homework and the big decisions—what lunchbox to choose, who to sit with on the bus, as well as what to wear on that fateful first day. Some aspects have changed while others will follow generation after generation but one thing remains constant—how blessed we are for the opportunities that we have the chance to explore. You are never too old or too young to expand the gift of knowledge we have been given. And your local Library Branch is a wonderful place to start!
There’s always something new at the library!! Zinio the world’s largest digital newsstand is now available on your library website! Thanks to the Northeast Library District, we are pleased to offer unlimited access to over 100 different magazines through this new service. It allows you to check out, view and download current issues of your favorites, including popular titles such as “Country Living”, “Family Circle”, “Field and Stream”, “Food Network Magazine”. “National Geographic”, “Prevention”, “Rolling Stone”, “Taste of Home”,” Martha Stewart Living” and countless others. The magazines can be viewed on any Internet-enabled electronic device, from computers to e-readers, tablets and smart phones. Patrons can get started through our website,(www.susqcolibrary.org) or, by asking for help at any of our Library branches. To use Zinio, you will need to set up an account through the “Northeast Library District Recorded Books” interface, and then a second account with Zinio itself. Once they are set up, you can check out a magazine through the Northeast Library District page, and then it will be accessible through your Zinio account. Specific directions on how to read magazines on various devices can be found in Zinio’s Help section.
A large round of applause and hearty congratulations to the winners of the Summer Adult Reading Program! Adults who read five or more books and logged them in online were eligible for a drawing for a sturdy canvas tote chocked full of goodies, including a chalkboard mug, a reading journal, a smartphone stand and much more. The lucky winners are: Angela Taylor of Montrose, Joan Hanrahan of Susquehanna, Scott Wiggins of the Hallstead/Great Bend Area and Lisa McVaugh also of Montrose who logged in the largest number of books at 46! Many thanks to all who participated in the program and we hope you will sign up next summer.
Please mark the date of Thursday, September 19th on your calendar. The Novel Woman Book Club will be sponsoring the annual “Author Luncheon” which will be held at the Stonebridge Inn and Restaurant. Featured guest will be Author, Actress and humorous Public Speaker, Angela Shelton. You won’t want to miss this—more details forthcoming in future columns.
Don’t forget to find us on “Facebook”: (Susquehanna County Library) and look us up on “Pinterest” for lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore and now, if you “Tweet”, follow us on Twitter (@susqcolib) to check out event information, local scoops and much more.
As I count canning jars and lids and dream about how wonderful their contents will taste when the snow gathers on the doorstep, I leave you with this thought:
“Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.” ~Doug Larson
Cotton Candy—Freshly Sharpened Pencils-- A“V” of Geese
Enjoy!
