Harford – On Wednesday afternoon Representative E. E. Jones, of Harford, Representative Gibson, of Lycoming and “Farmer” Creasy, conferred with Gov. Brumbaugh on road construction and maintenance.  The governor is very much interested in improving Pennsylvania’s highways and is in frequent conferences with the well informed men of the State on this subject.  Mr. Jones, by the way, has introduced a bill authorizing county commissioners to appropriate $1000 to organize associations for the promotion of agriculture.  He has also introduced a bill asking the State to take over the road from Laceyville to Skinner’s Eddy to Elk Lake to South Montrose and from Susquehanna to New Milford, making them State highways.

ALSO  A sleigh load of young folks, of this place, consisting of the senior class and their friends, spent a very enjoyable evening at the Aqua Inn, in Kingsley, last Friday night.

South Ararat – The farmers are busy putting up their supply of ice.  It is being cut from Fiddle Lake.

Uniondale – C. M. Buckingham has been writing articles on cheese making for a New York journal, the past year.  Out of thirteen prizes he has won 11 firsts, 1 second and 1 third.  The contest was open to all cheese-makers in the United States.  Mr. B. feels proud of pulling in a good bunch of cash.  ALSO The Presbyterian church will have gas lights installed in the church in the near future.

Flynn – James Conboy is about to trade his motorcycle for an automobile.

Elk Lake – Mrs. Katie Lathrop Gorr, whose girlhood home was here, was visiting relatives in the county with her husband recently.  They came from their home in Des Moines, Iowa, to attend the funeral of Mr. Gorr’s mother, whose death occurred recently in New Milford.

Brooklyn – B. A. Oakley has the agency for the popular Saxon automobile, his territory being the southern half of Susquehanna County.  Mr. Oakley has just completed a spacious, up-to-date garage, at Brooklyn.  He will have Saxon cars in stock and will also be prepared for auto repairing.

Montrose – Susquehanna county people who visit the Panama-Pacific exposition at San Francisco will have a most commendable feeling of pride in inspecting the exhibit in “Block 42” as it contains seven sawing machines made by the Beach Manufacturing Co., of this place, which represents the acme in mechanical construction and finish. Mr. McKeage is to be warmly commended for his efforts to make an imposing display, at such a great distance.  “Made in Montrose!”  Sounds euphonious, eh?

Lynn – Blue Birds were seen on our streets, Monday, as a gentle reminder that spring is drawing near.  We are glad to welcome them.

Jackson - The Lake View graded school held a valentine social at the Baptist parsonage Friday evening. ALSO  In the township, a dwelling house on the Gibson stage road, built in 1813, is in a good state of preservation and is still occupied by a farmer and his family.

Birchardville – The young people of this place will give a drama in three acts, “Mr. Tompkin’s Hired Man,” also songs and recitations at the Grange Hall on Friday evening, Feb. 26.  Everybody come.  Admission 20 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

Auburn Four Corners – M. L. Lake and P. M. Harris have the gas lights in their homes and they are fine.

Dundaff – Will Sprague was severely shaken up and received several deep gashes on the face, when his wagon was struck by a passing auto.  The horse broke loose and speeded for home, while Mr. Stipp, the owner of the auto, hurried with Mr. Sprague to Emergency Hospital, where his wounds were dressed, afterward bringing him to his home.  The accident occurred on the Fall Brook road, and during the severe storm on the evening of Feb. 1st.  ALSO  Dundaff hotel, which has no license this year, is not a hotel now but a private residence.

Susquehanna – Joseph A. Kent, proprietor of the Central house, has opened an up-to-date restaurant.

Forest City – Word has been received that President Wilson nominated Thomas P. McCormick as postmaster here.  Mr. McCormick has been in the mercantile business for a number of years, is a director in the First National Bank, as well as a member of the school board.

Fair Hill, Forest Lake Twp. – George Brands opened his school on Wednesday, having closed it for a few weeks on account of whooping cough. 

Hop Bottom – A large sleigh load of visitors from Brooklyn attended the Ladies’ Aid dinner at the Universalist church, last Wednesday, considerably augmenting the receipts.

Springville – What might have been a fatal accident occurred at about 6 p.m. Friday.  Earl Sherman, who had some work done at Gesford’s blacksmith shop, started for home, when the sled took the ditch owing to the ice and the speed at which the team was started, striking the bridge and throwing Dan Cokely and Lawrence Palmer out.  By having the lines to help him, Sherman was saved from any injury, but Cokely was thrown head foremost in the creek and sustained a badly lacerated scalp, besides other bruises.  He was assisted to Lee Bros. store and Dr. Lathrop was called and dressed his wounds, after which he was taken to his home.  That he escaped instant death is almost a miracle.  He will soon be at work again.

Fairdale – Seventy-eight loads of ice are securely packed for the Fairdale creamery.

Rush – Bruce Barnes, of this place, son of the late Deputy Register Nelson Barnes, has been visiting friends here this week.  The young man intends to soon enter the Odd Fellows Orphanage near Sunbury, Pa.

Hopbottom – Some of our readers might like to know that the oldest house in town was built by Orson Case before the D. L. & W. Railroad was [built] in 1851.  [Orson Case was the first permanent settler in Hop Bottom.  Until the building of the railroad Hopbottom and the surrounding area was a comparative wilderness].

There is a very interesting case pending in the United States Supreme Court relating to First Amendment Rights, Campaign Finance Rules and Judicial Ethics.  The case involves Lanell Williams-Yulee’s campaign for a county court judicial position in the State of Florida in 2010.  During the course of her campaign, she sent out a letter personally requesting “friends” to make donations to her judicial campaign.  In other words, she personally signed the letter – it was not sent by her campaign committee - and she personally requested donations of “$25, $50, $100, $250 or $500.”  No one responded to the solicitation – she received no donations.

But Florida prohibits judicial candidates from personally soliciting financial contributions from donors – so Yulee’s personally signed letter seeking campaign contributions violated that rule of judicial ethics, even if she never received a dime.  As a result of this violation, Florida pursued an ethics violation complaint against Yulee – which resulted in a public reprimand and she had to pay $1,860.30 to cover the costs of the proceeding.  Yulee challenged the direct financial solicitation rule contending that it violated a judicial candidate’s First Amendment rights.

The Florida Supreme Court rejected her challenge – but it turns out that this is something of a hot button issue throughout the Nation.  Three state supreme courts and two federal appeals courts have struck down these prohibitions as unconstitutional restraint on free speech, while four federal appeals courts have determined that the restrictions are constitutionally permissible regulation of speech.  And when issues like this end up dividing the courts – there is only one place it can finally be resolved – so the United States Supreme Court took up the case and heard arguments in January.

The arguments were pretty simple – Yulee argued that if you are going to elect judges, you cannot then restrict their speech – and the means to which they generate funds to support that political speech.  Yulee argued that the prohibition does nothing to stop its stated purpose, i.e., quid pro quo corruption or the buying of judicial seats.  Yulee argued that the judicial candidate will know who is giving money and the amounts even if those donations come through a third party solicitation such as the candidate’s election committee.  Moreover, there is no prohibition from a judicial candidate seeking non-monetary assistance from individuals – such as passing out materials, circulating petitions, making phone calls, or licking envelopes.  If a judicial candidate can ask a person to donate their time and energy, Yulee argued that the First Amendment must also permit the candidate to also ask for a $25 donation.

In response, the Florida Bar Association, who has been tasked with defending the state judicial ethics rule, contended that the prohibition is not only necessary to prevent corruption, but likewise to prevent the appearance of bias and corruption that might arise where a judicial candidate is out directly soliciting monies for his or her election.  The Florida Bar Association has asserted that the public makes a negative connection between campaign donations to a judicial candidate and the donors – and the negativity of this connection is heightened when the judicial candidate is actively soliciting campaign monies.  The Bar argued that the use of a campaign committee to insulate the judicial candidate from direct fundraising provides a needed protection against not only corruption, but also the appearance of corruption.  The Florida Bar Association also suggested that money taints the process more than volunteerism – and the fact that a judicial candidate can ask people to volunteer was not the equivalent of asking people to give money.

The news reports on the oral argument suggest that the justices were leaning toward striking down the prohibition – but court observers would be quick to caution that predicting any decision based upon an oral argument is a mistake.  The decision could have a significant impact here in Pennsylvania where judicial candidates are likewise prohibited from making direct solicitations for money.  In the 39 states that elect judges, 30 of those states prohibit judges from soliciting campaign contributions.  Depending on which way the Supreme Court goes, the means through which judicial candidates raise campaign dollars may change dramatically.

“My books are very few, but then the world is before me - a library open to all - from which poverty of purse cannot exclude me - in which the meanest and most paltry volume is sure to furnish something to amuse, if not to instruct and improve.” ~Joseph Howe, 1824

Not only is February the month for lovers and all things red and Valentine, but, it is also “Love Your Library Month”! Just stop to think, where would we be without our local Library locations? Sadly, some municipalities have had hardships and closed their doors on their treasure-trove of adventures, passions and information between two covers. Our Library locations contain so much more than just books on shelves with the ever-increasing amount of programs and services they continue to offer. We are blessed, not only with the establishment and its offerings, but with those thoughtful, kind and informed individuals who provide guidance to the young and assistance to readers of all ages—Our Librarians and their Staffs. The next time you visit your local Library location, take a moment and thank them for all that they do. Your “dog-eared, tattered cover” Columnist would like to take this opportunity to thank them also, and say what an honor and privilege it is to work with them in this capacity and how much I appreciate all of the assistance they offer, not only to me, but to our County as well. I also remember fondly two special Librarians who enriched my life by instilling my love of reading and books, Miss Lincoln, Mistress of the Susquehanna County Library’s Bookmobile and Mrs. Florence Buck, S.C.H.S. Librarian.

“Librarians are generals in the war on ignorance.” ~Author Unknown

“The richest person in the world - in fact all the riches in the world - couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library.” ~Malcolm Forbes

“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, nor office, nor wealth  receives the slightest consideration.” ~Andrew Carnegie

Even though it is only February, April 15th, the deadline for filing your Income Taxes is staring everyone in the eye. If you need, the Library has the following forms: 1040, 1040A, and 1040 EZ. No instruction booklets will be available this year. If you are in need of instruction booklets or any other forms, please call the IRS at 1-800-829-3676 to order or go to IRS.gov and order the forms you need online. You can download forms to your computer and print them at home or you may use the Library computer to print out blank forms at the cost of .15 per page. This reduced cost applies only to federal tax materials printed out by April 15th, 2015.

“As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school.  I actually believed all those books belonged to her.”  ~Erma Bombeck

“To those with ears to hear, libraries are really very noisy places.  On their shelves we hear the captured voices of the centuries-old conversation that makes up our civilization.” ~Timothy Healy

At 4:00 pm, on February 19th, 2015 the Susquehanna location Reader’s Group will be meeting to discuss this month’s selection, “The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel”, which is the tale of the brave women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American History, because as America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with First Lady Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life Magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons. Together, they formed the “Astronaut Wives Club”, providing one another with support, friendship, coffee and cocktails. As their celebrity rose--and as divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives--they continued to rally together, and formed bonds that would withstand the test of time. If you would like to join the Susquehanna location Reader’s Group, please call the Library and Laura, Pam, Deb or Elizabeth will be more than happy to sign you up.

As I watch the birds flock to the feeders, anticipating the next storm, and give you all the thrilling news that we had some travel-weary, confused robins in the sumac, I leave you with this thought:

“Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither  warm, nor cold, light, nor dark.... In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed.” ~Germaine Greer

Dreams of Daffodils—Hot Cocoa—Wild Bird Antics

ENJOY!!

Mrs. Lopez came into the pharmacy with prescriptions. She said to the pharmacist that she had just returned from getting blood work. Her doctor changed some doses of the drugs she had been taking and added a new drug to her regimen. The pharmacist asked why the changes were made. Mrs. Lopez was not sure but she told the pharmacist that the doctor looked at her blood work and said “everything is pretty much all right but I want to make a few changes.” The doctor then left the room to get her prescription pad.

The pharmacist asked Mrs. Lopez if she obtained a copy of her blood work for him to look at, especially since pharmacists are trained to interpret lab results and explain their meaning. She said, “No, I didn’t think it belonged to me.” “Your body, your tests results,” the pharmacist replied.

Yes, but there is a caveat to that statement. Should the patient see the test results before or after the doctor does? In 2014, the Obama Administration announced that patients may obtain their test results directly from the laboratory that produced them, without having to go through their doctors. These new regulations are part of a broader effort by the administration to give Americans more control over their health care. It supersedes state law and has particular significance in 13 states that prohibit labs from releasing test results directly to patients. Consumer groups said the rule will empower patients and reduce mistakes. Published studies show that providers fail to notify patients of abnormal test results as much as 20% of the time. This failure rate is dangerous, as it could lead to more medical errors and missed opportunities for valuable early treatment.

Unless the patient is trained to interpret the results, seeing the report could cause anxiety for the patient who wonders if he or she is very ill. In a perfect world, patients would receive results at the same time as their doctors, along with a full explanation of what the tests mean. But most of the time there’s a long lag – an awkward period where patients have to wait for a call or make a nuisance of themselves to office staff. Shouldn’t there be a better way? First, the patient can gain control by asking the doctor or nurse, what the tests are for and why she is getting them. Then, she would ask when the results would be available. Would the doctor call the patient or vice versa? If the patient plans to call the doctor’s office, ask what time would be appropriate.

Tests results can come with their own jargon that can be bewildering to the patient. A mammogram report may use the word “finding.” Aside from the heart-stopping interpretation that breast cancer was found, a “finding” can be a variety of things, often benign, such as a shadow caused by a fatty layer.

In Mrs. Lopez’ case, the pharmacist got the test results from her doctor who felt her cholesterol was too high and raised the dose slightly. Also, the doctor concluded that her heart rate was too slow and decreased her beta-blocker. Mrs. Lopez felt better now that the pharmacist unraveled the confusing report. Not only will she get a copy of her blood work in the future, she will also ask the doctor questions about it. And when the doctor does not have time to elaborate, the pharmacist is happy to.

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