Lanesboro – The Starrucca Viaduct is being guarded as a result of the critical relations between the United States and Germany. The Erie Railroad company, whose main line runs over this structure, has placed four men nights and four men days to guard the great stone bridge which spans the valley.
Friendsville – Miss Kathryn Ryan was hostess to the members of St. Francis’ choir, at her home here, last Sunday evening. The regular choir practice occupied the early part of the evening, after which a dainty luncheon was served. A social hour followed and the evening closed with the singing of several favorite Irish melodies.
Fair Hill, Forest Lake Twp. – Charles Steiger has purchased a new horse. He has resolved to walk over the hills no more.
Montrose – Two Montrose hotels, the Montrose House and Tarbell House, recently refused [liquor] license are now closed to the traveling public. When the proprietors find out that the world will move just the same whether they are open or not, they will probably be ready to entertain travelers again—license or no license. They are depreciating their property and give absolute evidence by their action that the bar was what the hotel was conducted for. – From the Meshoppen Enterprise. ALSO The second annual meeting of the Susquehanna County Suffrage Association is being held to-day at the county seat. A large number of delegates from various parts of the county are here, bringing splendid accounts of work done during the year. The meeting is at the home of the Misses Riley, on Church St., the members serving a luncheon at noon.
Harford – The Odd Fellows of Harford feel the inconvenience caused by the burning of their hall three weeks ago. The lodge has already planned the erection of a new hall and the work of clearing away the ruins of the old hall is under way. The lodge had $2,500 insurance on the building and $700 on the equipment, and also had several hundred dollars in cash on hand. The building that was burned came down to them from the fathers of Odd Fellowship in that vicinity and the present membership will see to it that the trust was not given in vain. It goes without saying that the new building will be constructed on modern lines and that it will not be an upstairs death-trap construction.
Lathrop Twp. – The school directors of this place, at a recent meeting, put in motion the necessary legal machinery for procuring a modern school building, “to provide for better gradation and classification and for economic and other reasons.” The proposed location is at Hillsdale Four Corners. ALSO We hear that Lowell Smith has bought his father’s farm and is going to turn farmer. We are glad to hear it as so many of our young men are going to the city.
Brooklyn – Lincoln’s birthday was observed by appropriate exercises at the High School. Five of the Civil War veterans were guests of honor, each making a short address. Other numbers on the program were a Class Song, “The Vacant Chair,” Life of Lincoln, by Susan Sterling; “Gettysburg Address,” by Lytton Dowson; “Captain My Captain,” by Rena Terry; “Old Glory,” by Delbert Nash, and several school songs.
Thompson – Born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Arthur, a son, Thomas Henry, on February 6th.
Liberty Township – A large force of men are harvesting a large crop of ice from White Lake Farm for the New Keystone Dairy Creamery in Summersville.
South Ararat - One of the severest storms of the New Year reached us on Monday and so very cold. The wind blew terribly; milk teams were unable to reach the station and the mail man failed to put in his appearance until Tuesday afternoon. ALSO And the old bear could see himself in the sunshine as nice as you please, so fill up coal bins and enlarge the wood piles.
Dimock – The old school house which has stood by the road side many years and where the young boys and girls were tutored and enjoyed riding down hill on the large meadow of W. L. Stilwell, is now vacated, the new graded school building taking its place.
Hallstead – J. S. Jacobus, an old and highly respected resident, died at his home February 7, 1917, after a long illness. Deceased had a shock several years ago and had been an invalid since, and a constant care of his faithful wife. Mr. Jacobus was a veteran of the Civil War, being a member of Company A, 151 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.
Forest City – Two men were hauled before Squire Dutchman Friday evening charged with soliciting alms. One had his arm bandaged and the other wore goggles and claimed to be blind. When the bandaged arm was bared and the goggles removed by Constable Decker, the men began to beg for mercy. They were given thirty minutes to leave town and they vamoosed for other fields. ALSO Fannie, the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Skubic, of Susquehanna street, died Monday after a short illness. The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon with interment in St. Agnes cemetery.
News Briefs: Take this tip from us. If there is any clothing that you really will need within a year buy it now. If war should come, our government will require nearly the entire output of all American woolen mills for uniforms. The government must be served first. This will send the prices of woolen goods to the sky. War may not come. We hope it won’t, but if it doesn’t prices will not be any lower than they are now for a year or more, at least. This is not an advertisement. It is a bit of good advice. ALSO The name “Sullivan Trail” does not seem to be dignified enough for the name of an improved macadam or paved road leading from Easton to Elmira, via Wilkes-Barre, Meshoppen and Towanda. Why not be right out and out and call it “Sullivan’s Highway?” Trail is not a fitting name for a highway that Pennsylvanians propose to build as a memorial to General Sullivan, and too trivial for a matter of such importance. Let it be “Sullivan’s Highway.”
200 Years Ago from the Centinel, Montrose, Pa., February 15, 1817.
*A few bushels of OATS will be received in payment of debts at this [Centinel’s] Office.
*John M’Nally, Has commenced the business of Boot & Shoe Making, in one of the upper rooms of the Montrose Hotel, and solicits the patronage of the public. He does his work in a style that cannot fail to please.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Found by and now in the possession of the subscriber, (in the village of Montrose, Susquehanna Co. Pa) a new Pocket Pistol. The owner by proving property and paying for this advertisement may receive it. CHAPMAN CARR.
*NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,
That no bounty is allowed by law for Fox Scalps. Justices will give no certificates hereafter. By order of the Commissioners of Susquehanna County.
*CAUTION. ALL persons who have been in the habit of cutting timber on lots near the village of Montrose, belonging to Col. Pickering and the heirs of Gen. Hamilton, will do well to call on the subscriber without delay and make compensation for what they have done, and desist from further trespassing; as legal steps will in future be taken against such trespassers. PUTNAM CATLIN, Att’y to the aforesaid owners.
On December 13, 2013, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police Corporal O’Donnell was on routine patrol in Berks County when he observed a motor vehicle stopped in the southbound lane of a two-lane highway. As Corporal O’Donnell approached the motor vehicle, he could see the driver standing outside of the motor vehicle with the door open. Corporal O’Donnell could only see the back of the driver and the driver’s hand were in front of him in a manner that it appeared he was urinating on the public highway. Corporal O’Donnell then stopped behind the motor vehicle and the driver responded by getting back into his motor vehicle and he began to drive from the scene.
Corporal O’Donnell then initiated his lights and sirens and conducted a traffic stop. Thereafter, Corporal O’Donnell discovered that the driver was intoxicated and charged him with DUI. The driver filed a motion to suppress contending that Corporal O’Donnell lacked any probable cause to support the traffic stop. In response, the Commonwealth argued that Corporal O’Donnell had conducted the stop because there was probable cause to believe that the driver had engaged in disorderly conduct based upon Corporal O’Donnell’s belief that the driver was urinating on the public highway. The trial court did not agree with the Commonwealth and suppressed the evidence. The Commonwealth appealed this decision to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court then considered the elements of the disorderly conduct statute that the Commonwealth relied upon to support its contention that probable cause existed. There elements to this offense are: (1) a defendant intended to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm (or recklessly created a risk thereof); (2) by creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition; and (3) the act(s) served no legitimate purpose of the defendant. The Commonwealth argued that the driver had created a physically offensive condition through his act of public urination.
The Superior Court noted that the disorderly conduct statute was never intended as a “catchall” for any acts that may annoy people and cautioned that police cannot use it as a “dragnet” for any irritating behavior. The underlying purpose of this criminal statute was straightforward: to keep the public peace. In this regard, the touchstone of disorderly conduct is generally some level of “unruliness which can or does lead to tumult or disorder.”
With these particular guidelines in mind, and considering the facts of this case, the Superior Court concluded: “[T]he Commonwealth has presented no evidence or argument to demonstrate how, under the specific facts of this case, where [the driver] appeared to be urinating at the side of the highway, in the dark of night, in a snow storm, away from any residence or business, positioning himself such that he was largely protected from view, such action was likely to lead to tumult and disorder.”
The Superior Court reviewed several other prior appellate cases that seemed to suggest that public urination may constitute a disorderly conduct, but noted that the holdings those cases may not be supportive of the conclusion that public urination is a disorderly conduct. In the end, the facts in this case were simply not sufficient to support probable cause for disorderly conduct – and the Superior Court did not make any broad decision that public urination could never constitute disorderly conduct.
The Superior Court also avoided any discussion whatsoever as to whether public urination “serve[s] no legitimate purpose of the actor.” It is not difficult to predict the arguments that would be made relative to the existence of a “legitimate purpose” behind any public urination. On the other hand, it is not difficult to imagine situations of public urinations that could cause “tumult and disorder” where an actor would be hard pressed to contend that he had a “legitimate purpose” as to the need to urinate in a very public and crowded place.
Are drugs used "off-label" legal?
Ms. Jennings came into the pharmacy and said to the pharmacist, "My doctor wants to give me an off-label drug for my insomnia. What does that mean?" The pharmacist pulled up Ms. Jennings medication profile and saw that she had been prescribed 4 drugs for her insomnia, none of which seems to have worked, according to Ms. Jenkins. He looked at her new prescription, which was for trazodone. This drug is indicated for major depression, not insomnia. Did the prescriber make a mistake? Off-label prescribing is when a prescriber gives a patient a medication that the US FDA has approved to treat a condition different than the patient's condition. In this case, the physician gave Ms. Jennings a script for trazodone to treat her sleepless nights. This practice is legal and common. In fact, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 5 prescriptions written today are for off-label use.
In the US, new drugs are tested in clinical trials (research studies) before they are approved by the US FDA for use in the general public. The clinical trials are done to show that the drug: 1) Works to treat a certain medical condition, 2) Works the way it is expected to, 3) Is safe when used as directed. When a drug is used in a way that is different from that described in the FDA-approved drug label, it is said to be an "off-label" use. This can mean that the drug is: 1) Used for a different disease or medical condition, 2) Given in a different way (such as by a different route of administration), 3) Given in a different dose than in the approved label. For example, when a chemotherapy drug is approved for treating one type of cancer but is used to treat a different cancer, it is off-label use. The same is true if a drug is approved to treat a type of cancer at a specific stage, but it is used to treat a cancer at a different stage.
Is off-label drug use always safe? Much off-label drug use is considered safe because doctors are familiar with the drug in use and its dosing, safety, and post-approval clinical trials for the off-label use. However, as reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, when a drug is used off-label with no strong scientific evidence to back it up, there is a high risk of side effects. Researchers found patients who were prescribed off-label drugs without strong scientific evidence were 54% more likely to experience a side effect, such as a drug reaction, drug interaction, or allergic response, which led to discontinuation of the medicine. In Ms. Jennings' situation, the doctor is counting on a side effect of trazodone - drowsiness - to help her sleep. Conversely, if the patient had a diagnosis of depression but could not tolerate the drowsiness, that patient would probably be switched from trazodone to another medicine.
The drug companies that manufacture trazodone, which is a generic, cannot advertise to the public that the product is good for insomnia. Off-label promotions of medications by industry reps have led to court cases requiring payments of sometimes billions in fines by industry. In 2012, GlaxoSmithKline paid out over $3 billion to settle court cases for off-label promotion involving the antidepressants paroxetine (Paxil®) for use in children and bupropion (Wellbutrin®) for weight loss. That same year, Abbott was hit with a $1.6 billion payout for off-label promotion of valproic acid (Depakote®) in nursing homes to control behavioral issues in older schizophrenia patients and in patients with dementia.
Ms. Jennings was relieved to hear that her doctor did no wrong. However, she told the pharmacist that she would be vigilant about experiencing any side effects and would report them if she did.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Visit him at www.rx-press.com.
