Hallstead – Electric power has been installed in the American Chair Company’s plant here. Also P. J. Tierney, Cornelius Doherty and James Gillespie returned Saturday from the City Hospital in Binghamton, where they were taken when they were injured in the Lackawanna wreck at Alford, Pa., October 31.

Kingsley – On Friday evening, Dec. 4, a concert will be given in the Universalist church by a Binghamton concert company, consisting of Mr. Vincent Giorno, baritone; Mrs. Bessie Sumner Beach, soprano; Miss Corinne Sweet, reader. These people are well known as artists in their respective professions, and they never fail to give perfect satisfaction. Adult admission will be 25 cents and children 15 cents.

Harford – Remember that Nov. 24 means a toe social at the I. O. O. F. hall. Ladies will bring boxes with lunch for two and be prepared to enjoy a pleasant evening.

West Auburn – The West Auburn Telephone co., has been extending the line below Silvara from M. A. Culver’s, so as to take in two new subscribers, Wm. McManus and L. Nesalein. Also Dr. Paul, of Philadelphia, is expected to locate soon in the residence formerly occupied by Dr. F. J. Austin.

Forest City – Fred J. Osgood, the well-known North Eastern Telephone Co. manager, who everyone knows as “Fred” and is over 6 feet tall and broad in proportion, has been sick recently and “fallen away” so that he only weighs about 230 pounds now. But he’s gaining. His friends will be interested in knowing that he will be a candidate for county commissioner at the next primary. He is a man who has been extensively connected with the business affairs of the county and has had a ripe business experience, besides having traveled over much of the county’s territory. He is well acquainted with its needs and its people. If nominated there appears to be no good reason why he should not be solidly supported by all Republicans—and by the voters of other parties as well.

Birchardville – Rev. William C. Tilden, of this place, was a caller in town the latter part of last week. He is the oldest Baptist minister in this section of the State, and his work of spreading the Gospel through the country districts for a great many years has “borne fruit an hundred-fold.”

Jackson – School Notes: Parents, visit the school more than you do. Go and see what your boy or girl is doing. Have a personal talk with the teacher. Your boy or girl will do more and do better if they see that you are more interested in their work. Not only will the pupil do more, but the teacher will do more for that boy or girl. The school is yours and it is your duty to take more interest in the school. Make it your duty to visit the school at least once a month and see if your children are making advancement. If they are not, find out why. See if it is the fault of the teacher or the fault of the pupil. If it is the fault of the teacher go to the teacher and have a talk. If the fault of the child, correct it.

Montrose – The mercury dropped to 12 above zero yesterday morning—the lowest point yet reached this fall. Several were caught with improperly protected water pipes. And the Consumer’s Water Co., of Montrose, is planning to do away with their steam power at the pumping station and install an electric motor. It is claimed a great saving will be made in both cases.

Rush – The annual church supper was held in the Rush M. E. church, Thursday evening of this week. This is the one time of the year when the women are seated at the table and the men do the waiting.

Susquehanna – Thompson Bean, former editor of the Susquehanna Transcript, has assumed editorial management of a weekly newspaper in Jefferson county. Also John King, one of the oldest engineers of the Erie, slipped and fell into the river, Friday night, and was drowned. When he did not return from his work, as usual, Friday, a search was made for him and they found he had left the roundhouse for home and later his hat and dinner pail by the river bank helped them to find the veteran engineer. He will be greatly missed by all, as he always had a helping hand for anyone.

Uniondale – L. W. Smith has sold his stock of goods here to J. N. Cable and H. T. Williams and is now out of business. He has not fully decided what he will take up. Also Dennis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alva Leonard, was shot by LeRoy Knapp one day last week. Everett Wolfe had a gun at school, hid during the school hours in a coal shed, and after school he and young Knapp shot at a mark. Young Knapp fired in the direction of the school building just as the Leonard boy was passing the corner. He was hit just back of the left ear and on the left hand. Dr. W. E. Lloyd, of Forest City, was called and extracted several shot from the injured boy’s head and hands. The story told by young Wolfe is to the effect that Dennis dared him to shoot.

New Milford – Hon. A. C. Barrett has represented this county in the legislature, for two terms, a few years ago. He was instrumental in securing the passing of the scale law, one of the best measures for the farmer and horticulturist, and one from which other states copied, passing similar laws. He made it possible for the department of agriculture to make necessary investigations and placed it on a reliable footing. The work of the department has been productive and of incalculable benefit to the state, all of which is due to Mr. Barrett’s foresight and for which he has received but little credit.

Thompson – Glenn Sartell, of Ararat, and Miss Rena Gelatt, of Gelatt, were married at the M. E. parsonage, last Wednesday evening. Rev. W. E. Webster officiated.

Little Meadows – The weather is very unsettled at this writing. Everyone is getting sleighs ready. Also the girls are all smiling at Joseph Hynes with his new auto. Also we are congratulating J. E. Hickey, of this place, who has purchased J. Moe’s store.

News Brief: There is too much Sunday hunting going on in this vicinity. It is a common thing to hear guns popping on the Lord’s Day within a mile of the borough. The little animals and birds ought to have a day of rest occasionally, even if it is necessary to make arrests. Also following a Jersey cow which had developed a habit of disappearing every morning and coming home in the evening without her usual supply of milk, J. Wilson, of Greensburg, found that the cow was raising a motherless fawn. Kinter B. Rogers, game protector, found the mother of the fawn dead. He has arranged with Wilson to permit the cow to raise the baby deer.

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting as a member of a panel in a training session relating to child protective services. The seminar attendees included social workers, health care providers, clergy, school nurses, counselors and other individuals who work with children. As we discussed child protective services, we received a question from a school nurse regarding an unfortunately common scenario – a sexual relationship between an older teenage male and a younger teenage female. How do child protective services – or the criminal justice system – address that issue?

The person who asked the question already understood the definition of statutory sexual assault under Pennsylvania law. The age of consent for sexual activity is 16 years of age. If the child is under 16 years of age, the offense becomes a criminal offense if the older party is four or more years older than the younger party. There is another exception to this – if the child is under 13 years of age, any sexual contact is a criminal act regardless of the age of the other party.

A 19-year old having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old constitutes a statutory sexual assault. A 14-year old having a sexual relationship with a 12 year old is also a criminal act. The questioner did not raise that issue – the question was specifically targeted to a situation not specifically covered by the statutory sexual assault statute: What about an 18 year old having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old? The victim is under the age of consent, but the perpetrator is not more than 4 years older than the victim.

As I stated, this is not an uncommon scenario – we have even had frustrated parents call our office to complain about the older boyfriend who will not stay away from their younger daughter. Most parents are stunned when they discover that the statutory sexual assault statute does not always protect children under 16 years of age – they want to be able to tell their daughter that the relationship is criminal and use the law as an added justification for the prohibition against further contact. So, what does the law provide – and what do we tell the parents who call us?

As I told the attendees at the seminar, there is another criminal statute that arguably applies to the scenario involving an adult offender and a juvenile victim. The Corruption of a Minor Statute provides that it is unlawful for any person 18 years or older to engage in “any act [that] corrupts or tends to corrupt the morals of any minor less than 18 years of age.” Now, here is the question, does the act of a sexual relationship with a 14 year old child “tend to corrupt the morals” of the child?

Admittedly, the Crimes Code is not providing much guidance as to what “tends to corrupt the morals of a minor?” The case law has provided an expansive definition – noting that there is no specific requirement that the corrupting conduct be criminal in nature – and that it is the “common sense of the community, as well as a sense of decency, propriety and morality which most people entertain” that determines whether particular conduct “tends to corrupt the morals of a minor.”

With that in mind, the question remains: Does an 18 year old having sexual relations with a 14 year old tend to corrupt the morals of a minor? The Legislature has determined that this is not a criminal sexual offense – but does that mean that it is not a corrupting act? What if the child was 16 (the age of consent) and the defendant was 65? Does the age of the parties factor into the question of whether the behavior is corrupting in nature?

When I posed this question to the attendees at the conference, there seemed to be a pretty strong consensus that the age gap made a big difference even if the child was 16. When I asked for a show of hands as to who believed that sexual relations between a 65 year old and a 16 year old were corrupting, it seemed like everyone agreed that this was a corrupting act. When the similar question was asked about an 18 year old and a 14 year old, there were less people willing to say that it was corruption without knowing more factors regarding the nature of the relationship. In the end, if an 18 year old was charged with Corruption of a Minor for having sexual relations with a 14 year old, it would be up to 12 jurors to decide beyond a reasonable doubt whether those sexual relations were a corrupting act – and that decision would be determined by the community standards of decency, propriety and morality.

As we look back to the question of how to address these kinds of relationships, it is important to make sure that it is understood that these relationships have the potential for criminal charges – and hopefully that provides some level of deterrence and better decision making.

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/.

How to treat (and not treat) a baby’s cold

Emily was in the pharmacy looking for a cold remedy for her 1-year old daughter who has a runny nose and a cough. She gathered up several boxes of over-the-counter cough and cold remedies and went up to the pharmacist with them. The pharmacist gave her some much needed counseling.

In terms of an infant under age 2 with cold symptoms, you are wiser to err on the side of doing nothing and rely on home care to make your child more comfortable. According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, cold and cough medications can pose a danger to infants and children. Adverse reactions to over-the-counter (OTC) cold medications are more common in infants under the age of 2. If the child has a fever of 100.4⁰F or more, or can't seem to get comfortable, you can give her nonprescription acetaminophen in a dose appropriate for his age. Infants 6 months and older can take liquid ibuprofen. However, if your child appears to be dehydrated or is vomiting, avoid these medications. Aspirin should never be given to anyone under the age of 18 because that child can run the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but life-threatening condition.

The American Academy of Pediatrics points out that studies show that child cold medications are not very effective in children 6 years of age and younger. The best thing you can do for your infant is to make her more comfortable as she battles the bug. A cold-mist humidifier in your child's room can help her breathe easier at night. OTC non-medicated saline nose drops may be helpful if your infant has difficulty breathing or feeding. To prevent dehydration, make sure that your child gets adequate liquid intake, advises MayoClinic.com. If you're still nursing, continue to feed your baby as usual.

There are external remedies as well. The mentholated ointment called Vicks can be good for breathing difficulties. However, do not use the adult version of this ointment. The baby version of Vicks is more delicate than the adult version, and it is not medicated. Though it does have a very small amount of eucalyptus oil, it does not contain the strong camphor and menthol. It works like an aromatherapy balm with lavender and rosemary, both of which are gentle on your baby's skin and has a calming scent.

Emily took the pharmacist’s advice and bought Baby Vicks, infant acetaminophen drops and a saline nose spray.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him at ron@rx-press.com.