Montrose – Parents are urged to caution their children not to coast [sled] on the sidewalks. Despite frequent warnings, the practice still continues, and a number of elderly people have had severe falls as a result. The authorities intend arresting future offenders.

Brooklyn – C. A. Rozell, the Brooklyn gardener, who has made two regular trips to Montrose each week since June, makes his last regular trip tomorrow. He will continue to make occasional trips as the nature of the orders for seasonable products warrant. He is selling some very fine, crisp celery and excellent sweet cider made from sprayed apples, which are especially wanted along about holiday time.

Fair Hill, Forest Lake Twp. – Thieves made their second attack on Dan Whalen’s poultry house Thursday night. After being fired on they escaped leaving two nice turkeys in a bag. It is possible they took some of the shot with them.

South Gibson – The death of little Franklin Payne, eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard Payne, which occurred Tuesday morning, was a great shock to the community. He had been sick but a few days with inflammation of the bowels. The family has the sympathy of a host of friends.

Susquehanna/Honesdale – Masked highwaymen held up and shot Robt. Voight, an Erie Railroad track-walker, at Tierney’s bank, half way between Honesdale and Susquehanna, on Thursday evening, and got 60 cents and a nickel watch for their trouble. Voight is in the hospital at Susquehanna with a bullet hole in his right lung and will probably die. The robbers overlooked $25 which he carried in the upper right hand pocket of his vest and which was pierced by the bullet that penetrated his lung. When the train crew picked up the wounded man a little after 7 o’clock and searched his pockets they pulled out the blood-soaked bills and found that their several thicknesses had been pierced. Voight lives at Southport, about two miles from Tierney’s bank. The scene of the robbery is in Buckingham Township, Wayne county. The wounded man died in the hospital Friday. It is said that District Attorney Ferguson (Susquehanna Co.), who has been investigating, knows who the murderers are.

Auburn Twp. – Cards were received on Thanksgiving Day, announcing the marriage of Lucy Davis Carter to Gerald Shumway, the wedding occurring at the old homestead, at Retta, at 12’oclock noon.

Kingsley – “Aqua Inn,” as its name implies, is purely a cold water hotel. In an interview with the proprietor, recently, we asked him if it was possible to run a hotel and make a living without a liquor license. His answer was an emphatic, “Yes, I am doing it.” He conducts one of the best country hotels in the county, and guests are always welcome.

Uniondale – Mrs. H. L. Williams, of Gothenberg, Nebraska, recently presented Uniondale Public Library with 50 volumes of finely bound books. Also L. P. Norton had a big surprise on his birthday. He had been telling that he was a little past sixteen and a lot of his friends found out that he was 71 years of Age, Dec. 2, 1914. Mr. Norton lays it to his wife—giving his age away—and getting so many there. He said he didn’t see how they could be so good in fetching him so many nice presents, and then act so. He tells around town that they greased his nose.

Forest City – Five boys, none of them more than just in their teens, were arrested and charged with breaking into local stores and purloining goods. It is claimed that the youngsters have, within the past few weeks, gained entrance to the hardware stores of Aldrich & Co., G. A. Thorpe, the Bartholomew Co., and the general store of Wm. Milasky. At the latter place they took some boots and at the Bartholomew store they took a couple of small guns, a revolver or two and some ammunition. Their fancy seemed to run to shooting irons as they purloined an air gun at Aldrich & Co.’s store. Their investigations of the Thorpe store were confined to the basement and they were frightened away before getting anything. The lads were held for court, three getting bail and the other two being taken to Montrose jail.

Hop Bottom – A Christmas sale of art work will be held at Melia Brown’s millinery rooms, beginning Dec. 12, the articles for sale being executed by Miss Evelyn Brown, of Brooklyn, and Miss Dora VanAlstyne, of Clarks Summit.

East Bridgewater – Nelson Aldrich is very critically ill with typhoid pneumonia and grave fears are entertained for his recovery. He is attended by two nurses and a council of doctors was held Tuesday.

Towanda – Herbert Johnson, who was arrested on the charge of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Floyd Vanderpool, at Towanda, on November 26, has been released from jail on $1,000 bail. Johnson was given a hearing before Squire John H. Orcott, who held him for court on the manslaughter charge. Only two witnesses were heard—Coroner Johnson told of the post mortem and Orange Johnson, an eyewitness to the fight, described the scene incidental to the murder. A dispute as to who was the better dancer and the better singer, following a general drinking period, in which considerable cider was consumed, preceded the fatal fight.

Clifford – Robert Taylor received a hurry call last week to return to his job in Binghamton, which he was obliged to leave about a month ago, on account of the shut down caused by failure to receive orders for work by the concern where he was at work. Returning business prosperity has filled the factory again with orders, and it is now running on full time. Another sign of the times. Also It is Santa Claus now that is turning the brains of our little folks topsy- turvy with bright anticipations of the coming of Christmas time.

Glenwood – Mrs. E. G. Palmer is busily engaged in putting up jelly. She reports a ready sale, having already made sale of over 30 gallons.

Middletown Twp. – The Literary Society met at John Murphy’s Friday evening. Twenty new members were enrolled, increasing the membership to forty-nine. A pleasing program was rendered consisting of recitations and musical selections. The leading feature of our next program will be a debate on Woman Suffrage—Mary Murphy, affirmative and Chris Coleman, negative. The next meeting will be held at J. W. Coleman’s, Friday evening, Dec. 18, promptly at 8:30. Also at a quilting bee at Mrs. Thomas Foster’s, Wednesday, two quilts were quilted.

Given recent news events, I received several questions about grand juries in Pennsylvania. Yes, there are investigative grand juries in Pennsylvania. The District Attorney or Attorney General can make a motion to empanel an investigative grand jury, which will be submitted to the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for approval and designation of a judge to oversee the grand jury process. Initially, the grand jury must consist of 23 legally qualified jurors and between 7 and 15 alternates – and the total number of jurors cannot go below 15. When the grand jury is in session, the prosecutor and the court stenographer are generally present with the jurors – along with any witnesses called to testify. No one else would be allowed to be present without the permission of the judge overseeing the grand jury.

With reference to considering the evidence, the Rules require an affirmative vote of 12 jurors to make a presentment (charges) or a report to the court. If there are 23 grand jurors, this means that a simple majority can determine that charges are appropriate. If during the course of the grand jury proceedings, jurors are excused for various reasons, there is a potential that there will be less than 23 jurors, but as noted there can never be less than 15. The significant point to remember is that a grand jury vote does not have to be unanimous – the Rules allow for a simple majority to vote on a presentment, i.e., the prosecutor asking the grand jury whether a particular criminal offense should be charged. Moreover, in terms of the burden of proof necessary to support charges, the grand jury only needs to conclude that the Commonwealth has presented a prima facie case, i.e., that there is probable cause to support each of the elements of a criminal offense. Thus, a grand jury presentment is a rather low hurdle – a simple majority vote for the grand jurors that the Commonwealth has enough evidence to support each element of a criminal offense.

There is an old saying that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.” This quote is attributed to Sol Wachtler, the former Chief Justice of the New York Court of Appeals, whose legal career ended with a resignation and incarceration in federal prison for harassing a former paramour. Given the problems that Mr. Wachtler had with the criminal justice system, he is probably not the best source for fair assessments of the grand jury system. On the other hand, there is a grain of truth in that quote – it summarizes the low level of proof that is necessary to obtain an indictment from a grand jury – and the level of control a prosecutor could exert over the grand jury process in presenting evidence. If a prosecutor was simply determined to get an indictment from a grand jury, the argument would be that he or she would simply present the most favorable evidence – and avoid presenting anything that would weaken the case – and with such a low burden of proof, an indictment would likely follow. Wachtler’s quote was intended to be critical of prosecutors who manipulated the grand jury into only seeing a part of the picture – not the whole picture – so as to assure a criminal indictment.

If a prosecutor, however, presents the full case before a grand jury – Wachtler’s criticism of the grand jury process crumbles. If a grand jury has all of the evidence, then the grand jury serves its best function – a vote from average members of the community as to whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal charge. A grand jury does not determine guilt or innocence – only whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial, where another jury will be assembled to determine the ultimate question of guilt and innocence.

While I have never presented to a grand jury, I know colleagues who have – and they believe that it is a powerful investigative tool and a strong gatekeeper. As an investigative tool, the strength of the grand jury is that individuals can be compelled to appear and testify – something that law enforcement cannot mandate – and a record of their sworn testimony is created. In terms of being a gatekeeper, the grand jury serves as a barometer for community reaction to the evidence in a particular case – and whether a prosecutor could ultimately convince 12 trial jurors to vote unanimously that there was proof beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal conduct. If a prosecutor cannot get a majority of grand jurors to vote for criminal charges on a lesser standard of proof, it necessarily follows that there is little chance of getting 12 jurors to unanimously agree to guilt while applying the highest standard of proof required by law.

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/.

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

With so much going on throughout the holidays, it’s very trying for even the most organized soul to come up with the perfect gift for everyone on their list. Our hearts mourn the loss of someone near and dear to us even more as we recall all of the Christmas traditions that made the gathering even more special. I have a suggestion you may not have considered. How about making a monetary donation to the Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association in memory of or to honor that someone special? If you did not receive a donation card in the mail, one is available at any of the Library Branches. Local support is one of the factors used to determine the amount of funding provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Stop and think for a moment of all of the programs and services you can help fund with your donation—Books by Mail, Books on Wheels, the purchase of books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, Audio books, Free High Speed Internet, the ever popular Story Hours, Summer Reading Program, Guest Authors plus the wealth of information available within the Susquehanna County Historical Society. You could also consider honoring someone with a “Memorial Book” for many to enjoy. All Memorial Books contain a bookplate identifying the donor and for whom the book was purchased. No ribbons, bows or wrapping paper necessary and either would make a lasting gift.

Despite the unsavory weather, the recent Pottery and Art Sale, held at the Montrose VFW, was a huge success. A world of thanks goes out to all of the talented craftspeople and artists whose creations were outstanding and will make many happy this Christmastime. Many thanks also, to all of those who volunteered in so many ways. Your participation and dedication contribute so much to the success of this event. Last but not least, a huge thank-you to all of those individuals who braved the elements and shopped, not only at the Pottery and Art Sale, but at the book sale and gift boutique as well. Where would we be without your generosity and kindness? We are able to offer the programs and services we do, because of you. If you did not pick up a ticket to be turned in at time of purchase of your Christmas tree from Kessler’s Tree Farm, you can pick one up at any Library Branch. With every Christmas tree that is purchased with the coupon, the generous folks at Kessler’s will donate $7.00 to the New Library Fund.

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Please make note that the Susquehanna Library Branch Reading Group will not be meeting in December. The December Selection will be discussed along with the January Selection at the January Meeting, weather permitting.

You might want to job down the following dates of the Montrose Story Hour on your calendar; December 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd , 24th, 30th and 31st at 10:00am to 11:00 am in the Children’s Room. Toddler Time will be held on the 11th and Baby Lap Time will be on the 18th. If you have questions, please call the Montrose Main Library. Registration is required for the Story Hour, but not for Toddler Time or Baby Lap Time.

As I assemble my Christmas Cards for mailing, I leave you with this thought…“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” ~Harlan Miller

Candy Canes—The Scent of Fresh Pine—Christmas Plays

ENJOY!!

The battle Of The Fungus That Won’t Die

Fungal infections can be tricky to cure and they are itchy if not painful. Here’s a quick primer on how to beat the fungus at its own game. Sam, 64, is having an uncomfortable problem with a recurring fungal infection around his genitals. He tells the pharmacist, “I keep using the over-the-counter antifungal cream I bought here, but the rash keeps coming back and it is painful. Now what do I do?” The pharmacist explains that this infection – typically called jock itch – occurs almost exclusively in adult men, but women can get it as well. This type of fungal infection is characterized by a ring-shaped, slightly raised red rash on the inner thigh, groin or buttocks. The fungus that causes jock itch thrives in warm, moist areas. Jock itch can be triggered by friction from clothes and prolonged wetness in the groin area, such as from sweating.

 The pharmacist added that severe fungal infections, frequently recurring infections, or infections lasting longer than two weeks may require further treatment by Sam’s doctor. Over-the-counter antifungals such as clotrimazole and miconazole, usually clear up the problem. However, stronger prescription medications, such as those containing ketoconazole or terbinafine, or oral antifungals may be needed to combat the fungus. Antibiotics may be needed to treat bacterial infections that can occur in addition to the fungus, principally from scratching the area. Fingernails harbor their own bacteria which can complicate the situation if the person scratches the rash.

If one is using an over-the-counter cream, apply it to the surrounding 2 to 3 inches of normal skin in addition to the rash. Also, because the infection is in the deep layers of the skin, the antifungal cream should be used at least 7 days after the visible part of the rash clears up. Otherwise, it hides in the deeper skin layers and reemerges when conditions are right.
The pharmacist goes on to give Sam some pointers as to how to minimize the risk of further infections. First, keep the groin area clean and dry. Do not wear clothing that rubs and irritates the area. Avoid tight-fitting and rough-textured clothing. Wear loose-fitting underwear: boxers or boxer shorts instead of briefs which can chafe. Change underwear daily. Wash athletic supporters frequently.  After showering, instead of wrapping your towel around your waist, put it between your legs as you shave or brush your teeth. After bathing, apply antifungal or drying powders if you are susceptible to jock itch. Do not share towels with people in communal changing rooms. Wash towels frequently. Keep your own towel when you have a fungal skin infection to reduce the chance of passing on the fungus to others.

The pharmacist asked Sam to check in with him in a week or so and they can decide whether the doctor wants to prescribe a stronger medication.

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