Hallstead – The case of Kenneth Johnson vs. the Lackawanna Railroad [as reported previously] has been affirmed by the Supreme Court in a decision handed down Monday. In the lower [court] the right of the company to condemn property owned by Johnson for a right of way for the cutoff being built by the company, was denied. One of the points on which the company lost out in the lower court was that the condemnation had not been according to the proper method and that the board of directors of the company passed a resolution providing only for the obtaining of land between New Milford. Judge Terry held that as Hallstead was west of New Milford, the company had no right to go further than the directors provided for.
Choconut – Automobiles have commenced running again. Quite a number were at the Choconut Valley Inn, Sunday.
Little Meadows – James Clarey attended an educational meeting at Flynn the first of this week. His talk on “the teacher and the school” was graciously applauded. Also John Boland’s house burned last week.
Glenwood – Mrs. Sara Cameron and family extend their heartfelt thanks to the friends and neighbors who so willingly came to the plowing bee. They not only did the plowing, but the harrowing and sowed the oats as well. These kind deeds will never be forgotten by them. Also Lucy Conrad is a delighted owner of a fine Guernsey calf purchased by her nephew, Lynn W. Conrad, of West Clifford. Believe us, it’s some calf.
Susquehanna – Miss Ethel Dolan graduated from the Hospital Jefferson, in Philadelphia, on Thursday. ALSO Excavating and laying the foundation for the new silk mill, to be erected on Erie avenue, Susquehanna, is nearly completed and a new brick building will be erected at once.
S. Ararat – Kleber Shaver lost one of his cows. Quite a loss, as cows in this vicinity are almost equal to gold in the farmer’s eyes. Also Rev. Webster will preach the Memorial sermon in the Ararat Presbyterian Church on May 24. All old soldiers are cordially asked to be present. An invitation is extended to the public.
Montrose – The tri-angular piece of county grounds, west of the Court House, is being “broken,” with the plow, preparatory to getting a better sod and making a handsome grass plot, and, incidentally, Ed Foote, custodian of the County Grounds, and the genial ex-county treasurer, W. G. Morgan, will show the people just how to grow a bumper potato crop this summer, while getting the ground in shape for a “seeding.” ALSO Charles Arnold is riding a twin-cylinder, Indian motorcycle, which he recently purchased.
Royal, Clifford Twp. – Some two weeks ago T. J. Wells drove a horse and carriage from Newark, N. J. to Royal, a distance the way he came of about 160 miles in four days. He said the worst time he ever had driving on the road was coming through Barrons from Delaware Water Gap to Hawley by the way of Porter’s Lake. The mosquitos were like a swarm of bees around his head a part of the way.
Tripp Lake/North Jackson - A demonstration of spraying fruit trees will be given under the direction of State Zoologist, Surface, in the orchard of G. Carlton Shafer, at Tripp Lake, on May 29, and in the orchard of C. F. Whitney, North Jackson, on May 30. All fruit growers who are not conversant with spraying should attend these meetings, if possible, as the experts in charge will give much practical advice.
St. Joseph – Frank McManus is about to enter the Order of Christian Brothers, in Scranton.
Brooklyn – J. W. Adams and C. M. Doloway were callers in Montrose on Wednesday. They are two of Brooklyn’s finest and best citizens and are looking forward, with interest, to the annual observation of Memorial Day, both being veterans of the Civil War.
Lawsville – Henry Ives is tearing down the old church near the creek to use in the construction of a new barn.
Fairdale – Miss Rose Horton has gone to Chicago to take up study at the Moody Bible School. She will be greatly missed, especially in church work.
Fair Hill, Forest Lake Twp. – Dogs made bad work in N. M. Seely’s flock of sheep, killing several sheep and lambs. People who have worthless dogs should keep them at home.
Forest Lake - Encouraging reports are received from Binghamton concerning the condition of Miss Eleanor Sullivan, who recently underwent an operation for appendicitis.
Harford – We have a meat market in our town once more, which is a great convenience to the housekeeper.
Lynn, Springville Twp. – There was a goodly turnout at the primaries on Tuesday, although the nice weather kept a good many farmers away. Scarcely any of our people have their gardens planted or even plowed, owing to the wet weather.
Dimock – Francis R. Cope, Jr. and daughter, Theodora, have returned from an extended trip to Philadelphia.
Flynn, Middletown Twp. - A gray overcoat was found near the Wolf road cut. Owner can have same by proving property.
Forest City – “The Missing Miss Miller,” a three act comedy, will be reproduced by the Deacon’s Second Wife Company, by request, on Thursday evening, May 28, in the Grand theatre. The company is composed of young people of Forest City and Vandling whose ability is unquestioned. New specialties are to be added and an evening of great pleasure promised.
News Brief: Take out your watch. Follow the second hand around the minute cycle. Every time it ticks off 24 seconds a new Ford car comes into being. The month of April was another record breaker at the Ford factory in Detroit—30,402 complete cars were built and shipped during the month which had 26 working days. A little mental arithmetic shows that this means a daily production of about 1,170 cars. It shows that approximately 146 Fords were built each hour. It shows that almost 24 seconds elapsed between the time one complete car left the factory doors until after another followed it.
At a recent preliminary hearing, I had a conversation with a father of a young male who had been implicated in a string of burglaries. As with most property crime offenses, the criminal conduct had been driven by an opiate (heroin) addiction. The father was concerned about lack of community knowledge of just how bad the opiate drug problem has become in our small rural county. At least, this was his perception. He did not believe that the general public was aware of just how terrible opiate addictions are – and what, if anything, parents and family members can do to address addiction issues before they turn into criminal conduct aimed at feeding a growing and insatiable addiction.
As I was talking with this father, I was thinking about how often this topic comes up in conversations over the past several years – and how last week’s column addressed a similar topic. With tears in his eyes, the father noted that the arrest and incarceration was a blessing – at least he knew that his son was alive. He then revealed that he was blaming himself for his son’s behavior – there must have been something he could have done sooner to stop the addiction before it had led to a number of burglaries throughout his small community.
This is a common reaction from parents – questions necessarily arise when a child turns into a criminal – even an adult child. What went wrong? What could I have done differently? How did I miss the warning signs? Why did the child not ask for help sooner? How could the child steal? How could the child break into someone’s house?
Sometimes, parents never see the signs of addiction prior to an arrest – it comes as a complete and total surprise to the parents. Other families learn about addiction issues long before the criminal justice system is involved. Most parents are reluctant to call the police when a child steals from them. It is very common for parents to tell us that the defendant had been stealing from family members for months prior to moving onto strangers. The parents simply handle it amongst themselves – they did not want to get the child in “trouble with the law.” Indeed, parents are ill-equipped to deal with this part of the addiction problem as the parental instinct is one of protection – and turning a child over to the police seems like an act of betrayal.
Addicts manipulate people – and addicts are very good at manipulating their parents and other family members. They prey upon the good intentions of their family – and it is often surprising to see how terribly many addicts treat family members. The unconditional love and support that parents have for their children can be twisted by an addict into a tool of enablement and control. Oftentimes, parents are not even aware of what is occurring.
As I was listening to the father lamenting about his son’s terrible acts and current legal situation, I was struck by just how many families I have seen in our small county that have suffered the ravages of addiction. I was also considering the victims of the criminal conduct committed by the addicts – how victims lose their sense of security in their homes, valuable property, irreplaceable sentimental items for which money can never truly compensate, and the days of hassle, frustration and heartache involved cleaning up the mess left by the addict. Addiction destroys lives, homes and communities.
As I have said here in the past, I told this father that opiate addiction has become a local, state and national problem – and there is frankly no solution in sight. The media push in this country seems to be toward more permissive use of controlled substances – not less. Education will never overcome the pressure exerted by the media, Hollywood and the music industry – our children are simply overwhelmed by a media which has convinced them that marijuana should be legal – and it is a short step from marijuana to opiate addiction. It is not just my experience that tells me this – but treatment providers will tell you the same story.
A few days ago, I walked into the probation office where a defendant was expressing joy that there was a “bill” pending in “Scranton” to legalize medicinal marijuana. Apparently, the defendant was in need of “medicine,” even though the “medicine” had so far only “cured” the defendant’s ability to obey the law. This is a small example of the permissive attitude that many young people have toward controlled substances – and if you cannot stop the use of controlled substances, then criminal conduct necessarily follows it.
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/.
“Sweet May hath come to love us, Flowers, trees, their blossoms don; And through the blue heavens above us The very clouds move on.” ~Heinrich Heine
Ahh, the month of May. A time to honor Mothers, those Military individuals who gave all so that we may have the freedoms we enjoy today, and, of course, to celebrate the re-birth of the land around us. But, did you know that May is also “Get Caught Reading Month”? It’s true! “Get Caught Reading” happens to be a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages just how much fun it is to read. What better time to encourage your family to visit your local Library Branch and take advantage of all it has to offer, than with summer not far away. Titles, sure to please every age group, are just waiting to be enjoyed. A nationally-recognized newspaper recently published a list of the 50 best children’s books published in the last 25 years—and guess who has many of them on shelves, waiting for you? That’s right! Your own local Library Branch! To whet your literary appetites, I’ll name some examples. “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. ,”The Three Billy Goats Gruff” by Paul Galdone ,“Oh The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” by Laura Joffe Numeroff ,“Brave Irene” by William Steig, “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfeister , “Stellaluna” written by Janell Cannon , “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes, “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam Mc Bratney, “Officer Buckle and Gloria” by Peggy Rathmann, “Time for Bed” by Mem Fox, “Falling Up”, only one of many by the beloved Shel Silverstein, “Mouse Paint” written by Ellen Stall Walsh, “There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly” by Simms Taback, “I Went Walking” by Sue Williams, “Click, Clack Moo,Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin, “Olivia” by Ian Falconer, “Over in the Meadow” by Ezra Jack Keats, “Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson and the 2003 award-winning, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” written by Mo Willems. These are just a fraction of the titles you can choose. Reading to your children starts them on the path to literary enjoyment, heightens their imagination and creates an atmosphere that brings families closer together.
A Bake Sale, held May 10th, benefiting the Susquehanna Library Branch, was a resounding success. Many thanks to all those talented souls who baked, those who gave donations and, of course, our many wonderful customers. We couldn’t do what we do, without your thoughtfulness and generosity.
On May 15th, the Susquehanna Branch Readers' Group held a spirited discussion of this month’s selection, "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson. The winner of a 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, “Gilead” is an intimate tale encompassing three generations, from the Civil War to the twentieth century, within a timeless story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. In the luminous and unforgettable voice of Congregationalist Minister John Ames, “Gilead” reveals the human condition and the often unbearable beauty of an ordinary life. If you have not joined this lively group, please stop by and speak with Laura, Pam, Deb or Elizabeth to sign up.
Please mark on your calendar, the dates for the 2014 Blueberry Festival, which will be held on Friday and Saturday, August 1st and 2nd and plan to join us for
“All things Blueberry”.
Keep watching this column for the announcement of the Summer Reading Programs coming to a Library Branch near you.
Check out our updated website (susqcolibrary.org) for exciting news from the Branches, events, and the latest titles by your favorite or new Authors. Don’t forget to find us on “Facebook” (Susquehanna County Library). Look us up on “Pinterest” for lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. If you “Tweet”, follow us on Twitter (@susqcolib) to check out event information, local scoops and much more.
As I put out more orange halves for the visiting Baltimore Orioles to enjoy, I leave you with this thought:
“With each day going by hope is reborn, dreams come true and a little step is taken toward happiness. May this May be unbelievably exceptional, amazingly colorful and filled with Joy, laughter and love.” ~Anonymous
Warm Breezes – Apple Blossoms—Prom Memories
ENJOY!!
