Hallstead – Fire, which broke out about 3:30 Thursday morning in the postoffice building, destroyed that structure, the grocery store building of H. J. Brown adjoining, and the residence of Mrs. Rose Dayton.  In the Brown building was also a barber shop conducted by H. Shaw.  The building was an old wooden structure, built some 75 years ago.  Although the firemen worked hard and did much in preventing a more serious fire, but little could be saved from the burning structures.  The loss is estimated at from $10,000 to 12,000, partly covered by insurance.  The cause of the fire is unknown.  The postoffice has been relocated in the store of the newly appointed postmaster, D. E. Hanrahan.

Great Bend – Wednesday morning a sad tragedy occurred when Mrs. Celia Tierney met her death in the flames which consumed her home.  When the fire companies arrived the building, an old wooden structure, was wrapped in flames and it was impossible to get within.  Mrs. Tierney lived alone and fears were confirmed that she was inside when firemen entered the home and found her badly charred body lying on the floor of a room near a window.  It is supposed that the fire started by her clothing catching fire from the stove.  The death of the highly respected lady has brought sadness into many homes where she was known and beloved.  Four sons survive her: John, of Kingston, Pa; Michael, of Syracuse; Patrick, of Omaha, Neb, and James, living in Illinois.

Friendsville – A dance and supper will be given at the hall here on Feb. 10, for the benefit of the Friendsville band.  Plenty of good music will be provided.  All are invited.  Admission 25 cents.

St. Joseph – Rev. John Joseph McCahill, a native of this place, now assistant to Dean Penney, of the Church of the Annunciation, New York city, will attend the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree banquet, in Binghamton, Feb. 10th.

Montrose – Walter G. Castle, formerly proprietor of the Cnic Theatre, has purchased the box ball alley and pool parlors, which for the past few years has been conducted by Harry J. Light, in the basement of the Cohen block.  Mr. Castle expects to make a number of necessary improvements and will conduct the place to please all who call on him.

Auburn Twp. – Some folks think that buildings cannot be successfully moved.  A. K. Mericle has just finished having his house moved a distance of some 50 ft., up over an incline of perhaps 18 ft., in midwinter.  It was a cold job.  The family lived in the house at the time and now is rejoicing at having their house in a more sightly place.  ALSO  At Fower Hill, Mr. Papal, the eye specialist, passed over the hill Tuesday, looking after the interests of the eyes.

Lawton, Rush Twp. – Now that the Haire Hotel lost its license, on the grounds of no necessity, it seems proper to call attention to the fact that this beautiful property seems capable of being converted into a famous temperance resort and place for keeping summer boarders. We hope this will be done, as no one wishes to see the buildings idle.

Harford – Remember the next meeting of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, at the home of Mrs. John Dixon, on Friday, Feb. 12.  If there is sleighing, a way will be provided for all who wish to go.

Susquehanna – Thomas Moran, a D. & H. brakeman, was fatally injured at East Windsor on Tuesday morning.  He was brought to the local hospital, where he died Wednesday morning.  ALSO Ernest Korstmanhaus will open a tailor shop in the Dooley block on Erie Ave.  ALSO Miss Anna O’Malley entertained the “Adamless Eves” at her home, Thursday evening.

Silver Lake – February came in like a lion, Boys!  Beware of the blizzards.  ALSO Many of the farmers are busy filling their ice houses and Thomas McCormick is helping James Mahoney fill his ice house.  ALSO A sleigh ride party, from Binghamton, was royally entertained at C. F. Sweeney’s Sunday evening.

Gelatt – The death of Philander J. Bonner occurred here Jan. 26, 1915, in the 79th year of his age. Mr. Bonner was a veteran of the Civil War, enlisting in C. F, 141st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.  He was captured at Poolsville, Maryland in November of 1862 and wounded at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863.  Philander was of a generous nature and was noted for his hospitality.  In June of 1881 he was married to Marrianna T. Peck, of Harford, and was the father of one son and also two daughters by a former marriage.  His faithful wife and devoted son cared for him during his illness.  Mr. Bonner was laid at rest in the cemetery at Gelatt.

Franklin Forks – Clare H. Summers, of Eitevau, Canada, is spending some time at the home of his father, Harvey Summers, being called home by the failing health of his parent.  Mr. Summers went to Canada about 14 years ago, taking up a homestead there.  While he has been engaged in other vocations and ventures, he is now tilling the soil and enjoying the prosperity that only comes to those who possesses vim and energy.

East Bridgewater Twp. – A mad dog was shot a few days ago, at Claude Otis,’ who lives on the Jonathan Gardner farm, by Ed Brown, of Montrose.  The head was sent to Harrisburg for examination and was one of the worst cases of rabies ever seen by the state authorities.  The dog followed Mr. Otis’ daughter from Heart Lake and it is said one hundred dogs in Bridgewater are under quarantine for three months in fear that some may have been bitten.

Uniondale – S. D. Carpenter was quite seriously hurt, on Saturday, being run over by a party of coasters.

Lenox – Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Powers have returned from Arkansas, where they visited his brother.  The brothers had not met in forty years.

News Brief:  For the first time in several years Old Bruin failed to see his shadow on Candlemas Day, which means according to old saying, that the backbone of winter is broken and that spring is near.

Like beauty, justice is often in the eye of the beholder.  In other words, we all have a different concept of what justice requires.  In the criminal justice world, victims and defendants generally have very different ideas of what is a just punishment.  The concept of restorative justice includes attempts to bridge the gap between those two worlds – and there is a movement to begin victim impact meetings where a victim gets to meet the defendant to talk about the crime and the impact that it had on the victim.

Over the past year, we have had the opportunity to engage in two different meetings between deceased victims’ family members and a criminal defendant in cases that had resulted in the victim’s death.  In both cases, the families actually wanted to have the opportunity to speak to the defendant as part of any plea resolution.  It was important to both families to sit in a room face-to-face with the offender so that they could get some of their questions answered.  We cannot force a defendant to agree to do something like that – and it would not be very productive if we attempted to do so.  But in both of these cases, the defendants agreed to meet with some of the surviving family members.

Admittedly, we had a great deal of anxiety and concern as to how the parties would interact.  Erica Johnson, our victim coordinator, has received training on conducting these meetings – and we make clear that if emotions get out of hand, the meeting will simply be terminated.  I had the chance to attend both meetings – merely as an observer – and I can tell you that both were equally powerful events.

One of the meetings started with the father of the deceased victim recounted how he wanted to hurt the defendant for what he had done – he made this confession in a very low and sorrowful voice, controlled and brutally honest.  The defendant simply nodded his head and said that he understood that feeling.  The parties then entered into a dialogue where the defendant answered all of the victims’ questions – tearfully and remorsefully – and the defendant expressed remorse and contrition.  As I watched the meeting unfold, I began to notice that the emotions in the room were shifting slowly.  By the end of the meeting, the father looked at this young man and said that he understood people make mistakes, he admitted that he did not know if he could ever forgive the defendant, but he wanted the defendant to pay the family back by simply becoming a better person when his sentence was concluded.  The threats and anger were gone – replaced by something far different.  The mother of the victim actually got up and gave the defendant a hug - she embraced the man who had killed their son – and as they were both sobbing, she told the defendant the same thing – she wanted him to make something of his life.

In the second meeting, the victim’s family had a lot of unanswered questions – and the defendant did his best to answer the questions.  At one point, the defense attorney attempted to cut short some of the harder questions as being outside the scope of the meeting – but the defendant insisted that the family had a right to hear it all.  It was a long, slow process with the defendant spending most of the time slowly answering each and every question.  I was amazed by the interaction between the defendant and the victim’s family – there was a real give and take in the conversation and both sides were carefully listening to each other. 

Toward the end of the discussion, the defendant suddenly blurted out his own question – he asked the family whether they were satisfied with his sentence.  It was a question I had not anticipated – and I had some concern over how the family would react as I could see that they were surprised by it.  After a few quiet moments, the one family member simply said that they could live with it – then each family member began to encourage the defendant to use his sentence to better himself.  As he slowly nodded his head, the defendant then told the family that if there was ever anything he could do for them, he would do it as he owed them for what he did. 

At the end of the meeting, the family members asked if they could hug the defendant – and each of them took a turn embracing the defendant.  He could not return the embrace as he was shackled, but he laid his head into each of them as they cried together.  As I reflected on these meetings, I began to realize that there is a real power in this concept of restorative justice – it was palpable as I sat there silently watching the pain, sorrow, remorse and contrition exchanged and embraced in these meetings.  It really struck me that both meetings ended with family members embracing the offenders – the human touch signaling some level of empathy toward the people who had taken so much from these families.

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/. 

“Love — a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.” ~Author Unknown

Valentine’s Day is not far away. It is now considered one of the largest holidays in the retail market, next to Christmas and Halloween. Millions of people are preparing to send cards to their loved ones, surprise the light of their life with any kind of chocolate you can imagine, from heart-shaped boxes brimming with flavors, chocolate roses, and even chocolate-covered strawberries, not to mention all of the unexpected, very imaginative surprises people will receive from their secret admirer.

“Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely.” ~M*A*S*H, Hawkeye Pierce

“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat. “~Ben Hecht

How did the heart become the most recognized symbol of St. Valentine’s Day? First, the human heart—it represents what the ancients always thought and the Greeks believed that as the mind was the center of logic, the heart was the center of emotion and the soul. It is, after all, centered in the chest (and leaning slightly to the left). The Valentine heart is also a good approximation of a broad head for arrows. Cupid, the Roman god of Love, is classically depicted firing arrows at people. Anyone struck with the arrow falls in desperate, nearly uncontrollable love either with the nearest person to him or her, or with the person who asked Cupid to find a love match for them. Renaissance Artists, and many of their depictions were of a winged cherub-type Cupid mischievously stirring up love with a bow and arrow. He is obviously a good shot, and it has always been understood that he shoots the victim right through the heart, the center of emotion and passion. The arrowhead is frequently seen as somewhat softened and somewhat heart-shaped. A sharply pointed and edged iron hunting tip is not very romantic, so the two rearward pointing barbs, meant to prevent the arrowhead from being withdrawn from the target, were rounded into lobes, and suddenly, the arrowhead does not look quite so vicious. Not that swans are the ultimate mascot of Valentine’s Day, as we think of them as symbols of grace, elegance, beauty, and calmness. Their down-turned necks make them appear humble and demure, the way women were expected to act back in the day. The classic picture of two swans facing each other with bills touching is a very popular one for Valentines, and swans do this quite often. Believe it or not, they’re smelling each other’s breath to remember who’s who on the lake or pond. Swans can appear identical and sometimes get confused. Mated pairs also neck as a way of bonding. They are generally monogamous and mate for life, and if you’ve ever wondered if animals feel love, happiness, grief and sadness-- they do. Male swans are just as aggressively protective of their mates as humans are. These and many other little known facts about holidays and customs are just waiting to be found at your local Library Branch. Why not gather the family and see what all they have to offer? I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

“Are we not like two volumes of one book?” ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

The New Year usually brings thoughts of household organization and new projects by the armload. Sound familiar? This is especially true when we’re housebound by inclement weather. We are not alone. The Main Library in Montrose is having a bit of a “Housecleaning” as well. Back issues of magazines (Many from 2011) are on sale for the “Large” sum of .10 each. There are always good articles you may have missed, or perhaps you need them for crafting—now is the time to take advantage of this offer. There is a large list of titles, with something for everyone’s taste, including several for children, on the Library Website.

 (Go to: www.susqcolibrary.org)

While you’re perusing the list, be sure you go to this fascinating article “35 New Uses for Magazines and Newspapers”. You’ll be shocked at what you can create! I especially love the decoupaged chair!

Here is the link:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/chanelparks/awesome-magazine-newspaper-crafts#.sbAJkJ77ZQ

“When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks.” ~Natalie Clifford Barney

Sleepy Groundhog—Handmade Valentines—Roses

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Enjoy!!

What is the pharmacist doing behind the counter?

Filling a prescription is more than just counting out some pills. Harry was impatient. He brought his prescriptions into the pharmacy to be refilled. As he say there waiting, he saw several people go to the counter and buy for their prescriptions. He said to the lady who was sitting next to him, “How long does it take to count out 30 pills?” Carol brought a prescription into the pharmacy for a narcotic. She said to the pharmacy technician that she was in a “super hurry” and had to needed to have the prescription completed immediately. She said this in front of several people who had been waiting a few minutes for their prescriptions. Meanwhile, the pharmacy phones were ringing and the pharmacist was summoned several times to take call from doctor’s offices. Richard brought in two prescriptions to be filled and was told after 10 minutes that his insurance was not letting the prescriptions go through. This infuriated him and Richard barked at the tech and said “Make it happen and fast!”

First, the people who work in pharmacies, whether they are trained technicians or pharmacists, make every effort to get patients their medications as soon as humanly possible. In Harry’s case, he is equating obtained his medication in the same way a child selects jelly beans at the candy store. Although computers bring pharmacists information quickly, there are times when drug interactions pop up that must be addressed for the patient’s safety. Even though technicians are the people who count out the capsules, every prescription filled at a pharmacy must be checked by the pharmacist before it leaves the store. The pharmacist multi-tasks all day, talking with patients, vendors, doctor and nurses, and certain times of the day – after work or during lunch hours – are business than others.

In Carol’s case, filling a narcotic prescription is more involved than say, a blood pressure drug or an antibiotic. Narcotic prescriptions must be carefully scrutinized and the pharmacist’s license is put on the line if something is not done correctly. So, the tablets must be physically counted out and then logged out in the inventory book. Then, the tablets must be recounted: both the tablets going to the patient and the number of tablets left in the original container. Whether or not Carol was in a time crunch, narcotic prescriptions typically take more time to fill. 

Richard’s threatening demeanor does nothing to speed up the prescription filling process. Pharmacy staffs do as much as possible to get a prescription to go through the patient’s insurance. This can include calling the patient’s insurance company. The prescription may require prior authorization which can take a few days. Turns out that Richard got a new insurance card and left it at home. Problem solved.

About 99% of all patients are considerate, understanding, and appreciative of the work being done for them at the pharmacy. All it takes is a few whiners to complicate the day, holding up other patients who are waiting and even increasing the chances of a prescription error being made because Richard and the others have caused a distraction. Pharmacist and their staffs enjoy helping people and giving medical advice.  So, relax, read a magazine, or go shopping while the pharmacy is doing the best job they can to keep you healthy.

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