Glenwood, Lenox Twp. – Claud Decker was driving a fine, three year old colt just recently purchased of Herbert McDonald. Now girls, look out, it’s fine sleighing. Also E. G. Palmer is mourning over the loss of a valuable horse. It is a great loss to Mr. Palmer as it has been in the family for 30 years and a special favorite was old “Dobbin.”
Oakland – Adelbert Foster, of Hornell, employed as a brakeman on the Erie, was struck by an Erie train at Addison (N.Y.) on Sunday morning and instantly killed. Foster left his train to turn an angle cock on the locomotive and was struck by a fast freight train and instantly killed. He was 21 years of age and formerly resided in Oakland. About two years ago he was married to the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dutcher, of Oakland township, who survives him. His funeral was held at the home of his mother, with burial in North Jackson cemetery.
Thompson/Ararat – The Borden’s [Creamery], at Thompson this week, are securing their summer supply of ice, which is 15 inches thick and clear as crystal, from the Hathaway Pond in Ararat township. Some thirty men are employed.
Jackson – A. L. Daniels, eighty-one years old, a veteran of the Civil War, died at his home here, Sunday, Jan. 3, 1915. He served in Battery A, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, and was under fire many times while serving in General Grant’s army. For many years he was employed by the Wilkes-Barre and Lehigh Coal Company, at Plymouth, but lived in Jackson for the last 25 years.
Also last Saturday afternoon, Miss Hazel Page lost, between Benson’s store and Ed. Leonard’s, a silver mesh bag containing some money. Finder will please leave at the Central Hotel.
Clifford – On Friday afternoon last, about 2 p.m., a house owned by E. G. Miller and occupied by Ira Snyder, situated near Clifford creamery, was discovered to be on fire. Nobody was at home and the fire had gained such headway before help arrived that it was impossible to save the house or anything it contained. Mr. Snyder had gone to Carbondale and had left his pocket book, containing a sum of money, also a gold watch. We understand that the house, as well as Mr. Snyder’s furniture, were insured. A barn and garage, containing a valuable automobile, were saved.
Great Bend – The Miesch Manufacturing Co., manufacturers of ribbons and throwing silk, are considering enlarging their plant to the extent of employing fifty more young men and women, between the age of 16 and 20. They are receiving applications for positions to ascertain if the desired number is available.
Susquehanna – Dr. Arthur J. Denman has rented the offices in the post office block, formerly occupied by Dr. Washburn, and will begin the practice of medicine about Jan. 10. For the past year and a half Dr. Denman has been connected with the German Hospital of Brooklyn, N.Y., and is a graduate of Bellevue Medical College of New York. His cousin is Mrs. J. M. Tinker.
Forest City – While coasting on the hill near the post office, last Thursday, James Lavin and James Palmer ran into Florence, the little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Robinson. She was ascending the hill when the boys came rushing down unable to guide their sled, on account of the slippery condition of the street. They ran into the little girl. She was taken to her home and Dr. W. E. Lloyd summoned, who found both legs broken just below the knees. She is resting as comfortably as can be expected. She will have the broken limbs placed in plaster casts. This should prove a warning to coasters.
– The Wayne County Woman’s Christian Temperance Union has given notice that the names of signers of applications for liquor licenses will be published in the newspapers. This is in line with action taken in Bradford and other counties.
Little Meadows – The death of John Butler occurred at his home here, Monday night, Dec. 28, 1914, after an illness of three months. He was 22 years of age and was a man greatly loved by all his friends. He is survived by his father and Mother, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Butler, six brothers, Joseph, William Timothy, Michael, Patrick and Martin, and one sister, Helen, all of whom reside at home. They mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother. The funeral was held Thursday morning from his late home and at St. Thomas’ church. It was the largest funeral ever held at Little Meadows.
Silver Lake – The death of John, one of the twin sons of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Shea, occurred Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 30, 1914. He is survived by his mother and father, twin brother, James, and two sisters, Lillian and Mary.
Elk Lake – Four local fishermen pulled in twelve fine pickerel at the Little Lake, last week.
Transue, Auburn Twp. – N. N. Brotzman, poor commissioner, was a business man at the Rush poorhouse the first of the week.
Forest Lake – Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Arlie Warner, Dec. 24, an 8 pound daughter, Arlene Elizabeth.
Herrick Centre – Henry Bigelow had his right foot amputated at the ankle at Emergency hospital, Carbondale. Last week, while cutter riding (sleigh), the member was frost bitten and a few days later gangrene developed to such an extent that it was necessary to remove the foot to save the man’s life.
Montrose – The Beach Manufacturing Co. has just shipped seven of its finest sawing machines to the Panama-Pacific exposition, where they will form part of the exhibit in block 42. The machines were consolidated with another westward bound shipment of machinery, filling a large 30,000 pound capacity car. Needless to say, the machines sent for exhibition were finished to a finer degree than is customary for the hard usage to which they are subjected, and they will make a good showing for Montrose’s chief machinery manufacturing industry.
Uniondale – What is known as the Herrick Elgin butter factory, about two miles north of here, has been purchased by A. M. Williams. It has not been in operation for several years. Also a sleighload of young people enjoyed a ride to Forest City Thursday night.
Crystal Lake – A race will be run on the ice at the lake on Friday between Deimas, owned by Charley McCann, of Carbondale and Town Directly, owned by Levi Patterson, of Carbondale. The winning horse carries away $100. Also John Thomas, formerly proprietor of the South Gibson hotel, has purchased the Crystal Lake house. Possession April 1.
There is something special brewing in the Constitutional world – a potential Article V Convention of States. You might be asking – What is that? Frankly, I was wondering the same thing when a friend first introduced the topic to me several years ago. The United States Constitution provides the States with the power to bypass the federal government and simply amend the Constitution themselves through a Convention of States. This has never occurred – but nearly all of the states have actually applied for a Convention of States at one time or another during the course of this Nation. Wikipedia, to the extent that it can be relied upon, has compiled a pretty impressive list of the different applications that have been made over the past two plus centuries for a State Convention. If you look at the list, you will see that this concept of a State Convention is picking up a little bit (or perhaps a lot) of steam over the past five years. This would explain why several people from different ideologies have approached me recently to ask me about it – and whether I thought it was a good idea.
What is required for a Convention of States? Article V allows for the states to call a national convention to discuss amendments to the Constitution – two-thirds of the states must make the application, i.e., 34 states. At the convention, proposed amendments to the constitution may be discussed and presented – but cannot be approved unless three-fourths of the states agree, i.e., 38 states. As I stated earlier, this has never occurred – every time the Constitution has been amended the proposed amendments were generated by the Congress and sent out to the states for ratification. The States themselves have never flexed their constitutional muscle to unilaterally amend the constitution.
The interesting, and increasingly appealing, procedural benefit of a State Convention would be that it bypasses the federal government. Washington would have no say in the process – no ability to block the proposed amendments – and it would turn the table on Washington for a change. Rather than Washington telling the States what they had to do, it would be the States telling Washington what it had to do.
There are more than a few people who think that a Convention of States is a terrible idea – and some of those critics seem to think (or perhaps want to scare people into thinking) that a Convention of States is akin to a Constitutional Convention aimed at writing a new governing document. Other critics contend that a Convention of States would be some Tea Party, right-wing radical tool to advance an ultra-conservative agenda. But if you look at the different state applications for a convention, you will see that they cross the political spectrum. Most recently, several states have applied for a State Convention to discuss the Citizens United decision and the idea of “corporate personhood” as that legal doctrine impacts on campaign finance reform. The states that made that application would be considered “blue” states – not red states.
The Founding Fathers understood the nature of political power better than most of us – and they created a document that was intended to limit the expansion of power so as to protect liberty and freedom. The brilliance of the Constitution has been proven by its use as a model for democratic republics throughout the world. But as the foundations of federalism and the restraints on federal power have eroded over the centuries, and even more rapidly in the past several decades, the simple amendment language in Article V may be the very last firewall created by the Founders to preserve the Republic that they worked so hard to create for us.
What would a Convention of States address? The proposals submitted by the states have not only been reasonable – but likely would have vast support from the voters. For instance, one of the most common proposals would be a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution – something that the politicians in Washington have discussed for decades, but none have the political courage or will to pursue it. Other states have proposed an amendment to have term limits for other officials similar to those imposed upon the President. Still other states have suggested an amendment that would require direct approval from the states prior to any decision to increase the debt limit of the country. These are just a few of the proposals that would likely have significant public support – except from politicians in Washington. And the only way for anything to pass would be with a three-fourths majority (38 states) – so there is no real danger of anything radical coming out of a Convention of States.
But will it ever happen? There seems to be a real fear in unleashing this particular dog to hunt – and there is definitely real opposition to a Convention of States. Personally, I support the idea of a Convention of States – it would be healthy for this country if the state governments got together and talked about some of the problems facing this Nation – problems that neither political party in Washington are willing to address. This Nation was created by the sovereign states in a miraculous convention in Philadelphia over 200 years ago – and Article V was intentionally placed into the Constitution as a tool to preserve what the states worked so hard to create. At this point, let’s just break the Article V glass and pull the alarm – and let the States work it out one more time. Honestly, do you think that things can get much worse?
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/.
Think twice before you ask for that antibiotic prescription
Mary, 65, came into the pharmacy with an antibiotic prescription. The pharmacist commented that she had gotten antibiotics 3 times over the last 4 months. Mary said, “Oh, my doctor will give me a prescription for an antibiotic whenever I get a scratchy throat.” In addition to the antibiotic, she is also on 3 heart medications.
Antibiotics are overprescribed. This results not only in 1) a dangerous increase in antibiotic resistance but also 2) potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions. First, research shows that antibiotics are indeed prescribed too liberally. One paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that while only 10% of adults with sore throat have a strep infection that would warrant an antibiotic, 60% of adults with a simple non-infectious sore throat are prescribed antibiotics anyway.
The same is true for acute bronchitis. Even though copious evidence exists that shows antibiotics do not help this condition, the prescribing rate of antibiotics for bronchitis has remained steady over the past 30 years – around 73%. This is contributing to a medical crisis that is known as antibiotic resistance – the germs become “super germs” that are no longer killed by antibiotics. Part of the problem of overprescribing is patient demand. Patients ask for antibiotics because they think these drugs will make them feel better. To worsen matters, many doctors have been prescribing antibiotics in abundance for years and are following old habits.
Second, common oral antibiotics have been found to damage the heart. Specifically ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) and levofloxacin (Levaquin®) as well as the routinely prescribed azithromycin (Zithromax®; “Z-Pack”) have been shown to cause cardiac problems. In 2013, the FDA issued a warning that azithromycin, "can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm." The FDA noted a 2012 study in their warning that found the drug may increase the risk of death, especially in those with heart problems, compared with those on other antibiotics such as amoxicillin or no antibiotic.
A December 2014 safety study compared azithromycin and levofloxacin with amoxicillin. The study revealed that patients receiving a 5-day course of azithromycin had a 48% higher death rate and a 77% greater likelihood of experiencing a serious arrhythmia compared with patients receiving amoxicillin. When compared to amoxicillin, patients receiving levofloxacin for 10 days had a 2.5 times higher risk of death and a 2.5 times greater risk of serious cardiac arrhythmias compared to amoxicillin.
The pharmacist explained all of this to Mary and she decided not to have the prescription filled. “Gargling with salt water is just as good anyway,” Mary said. The bottom line is if you have, for example, a sore throat, tell your doctor that you want to know if you have strep throat – and that, if you do not have a streptococcal infection, you do not need an antibiotic. Be an advocate for your own health.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him at ron@rx-press.com.
