Montrose – Charles Mackey and Wilbur Pross, who went to New York, Monday, have enlisted in the Mosquito Fleet, which comprises a dozen or more submarine chasers, to guard the coast. Mr. Mackey is a son of the late Dr. C. D. Mackey, a student of Cornell and Mr. Pross is the eldest son of Cashier C. F. Pross, of the Farmers National Bank. ALSO The Beach Manufacturing Co. is moving from its old quarters in the remnant of the machine shop and foundry, to their new plant near the Lehigh Valley station. The new concrete and steel main structure is practically completed.
Springville – The engagement of Cora Lee and Ernest Marcy was publicly announced when a variety shower was given them at the home of George Lee. ALSO Handrick Miles has gone to Montrose and the farm he left he rented to Boyd Welch and on April 4, about 4 or 5 o’clock, a fire was discovered in the barn. A shed attached was also consumed with a horse, cow and four yearlings. The other cattle happened to be out, as also was the team. They are preparing to erect a new barn.
Hallstead – Perhaps few dealers in horses in this section of the country are better or more favorably known than is James Florence. He gives notice that he will arrive with thirty head of Missouri horses about April 30.
Uniondale – A solid train, consisting of 33 cars of ammunition, passed through here Thursday morning enroute for Boston.
East Rush – Another one of Wm. Quick’s children has the scarlet fever. It seems queer that an M. D., of Binghamton, should let a patient run at large with this dreaded disease and endanger a whole neighborhood, as was this case.
Harford – Our young men are all afire with patriotism and stand ready to obey the first call that comes to them to serve in their country’s cause. Stanley Adams, private of the Thirteenth Regiment, spent a day with this father and friends before going to the front again with his regiment. ALSO James W. Evans received word that his oldest brother, David, of South Wales, died on Feb. 17th, at the age of 80 years. A few days previous to his death, his only son died at the front.
Jackson – Ray Roberts has been elected cashier of the City National Bank, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of LeGrand Benson. Jackson township has furnished three cashiers to county banks, the late Charles E. Moxley, LeGrand Benson and now Ray F. Roberts.
Gelatt – Wednesday April 4, being the 50th anniversary of the marriage of George B. Milliken and Maggie Smiley, relatives and friends met with them to help celebrate the day. After a bounteous dinner, the guests were invited to the parlor, where Warren Mumford, of Starrucca, made a speech and presented Mr. and Mrs. Milliken with several presents and a sum of money. Mr. Milliken responded with a short speech of thanks, after which there was singing and all returned to their homes.
East Kingsley – The family of Alonzo Loomis are peculiarly and sadly afflicted. Mrs. Loomis has been helpless, in bed for the past six years. Mr. Loomis, who is past 80 years of age, has been helpless I bed for the past year. Their daughter, Miss Nellie Loomis, has been their faithful nurse all this time. Their only son, Eugene, whose home is on the opposite side of the road from his parents, has been failing in health for some time, since the death of their infant son. Both families have the sympathy of the entire community.
Brooklyn – Dr. T. O. Williams is enjoying an extensive and profitable practice, but if the country needs him he will respond to the call. He is a Spanish War veteran and has had hospital practice.
Dimock – Wallace Fish, who is past 81 years old, seems to be smart and active for a man of his advanced years, cutting his own wood, attending to his poultry and fires, doing his trading at the store and also making daily trips to the post-office for his mail. ALSO Perry Mills is the new clerk at the post-office and store of W. J. Cronk.
New Milford – J. A. McConnell is in fairly good health after his severe illness of several months ago. He has lived on the New Milford hill, his farm bordering on the old stage road, for more than 40 years, coming there from Brooklyn township. All of the older generation of farmers and neighbors, the Gunns, Chapmans, Harding’s, Beebes, Franks, Kimbers and others who were his early associates, have moved or passed away.
The War Effort: It has been a common thing this week to see small groups of young men gather on the sidewalks. If you stopped to listen to their excited conversation you would find they were talking about enlisting. The entire Senior class of boys planned to enlist in a body on Tuesday morning, making their plans to go to Scranton to enroll. Principal Hess and the school board finally dissuaded them from taking the step, urging the boys to wait until after graduation.
Crystal Lake – Ms. John Nelson, near this place, was shot in the arm by her 5-year-old grandson, who secured a revolver from a bureau drawer on the second floor. Mrs. Nelson was sitting in a chair knitting and the youngster made his way up stairs and got the gun and returned to the first floor and started playing with the weapon, finally pulling the trigger. The bullet entered his grandmother’s arm and she fell over in a faint and was found by a neighbor, who was attracted by the child’s cries.
Forest City – With commendable zeal and fervent patriotism the Boy Scouts have, through energetic work, arranged that old glory shall float at the high school building. The boys made a canvass of our citizens who liberally subscribed to a fund for the purpose of buying a flag. It will be of first quality and will measure 6’ x 12’ and as soon as the school board can secure a suitable pole the flag will be unfurled. ALSO Thomas boys had some experience trying to run their auto from Forest City to Crystal Inn on Sunday evening. They encountered snowdrifts several feet high but managed to reach home at a late hour by going through the fields.
200 Years Ago from the Centinel, April 12, 1817.
*Abolition of Slavery. The House of Assembly of the state of New York, on the 12th ult. In committee of the whole, Mr. Walbridge in the chair, had under consideration the bill for the abolition of slavery within that state, when after animated discussion, the question on the clause declaring all negroes, malatoe and mustees within the state, free, after the 4th day of July, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, was carried in the affirmative by a large majority.
*Halloo, Journeymen! I want to procure a first rate workman at the Cabinet Making Business; also a first rate workman at Chair Making; to whom I will give good wages and constant employ—None other need apply. Garner Isbell, Jr., Montrose
Thomas Nestel was the chief of police for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). As part of his duties, Nestel created and published an Officer Safety Bulletin warning other law enforcement agencies regarding a person named Douglas Ioven. The Bulletin contended that Ioven was carrying a loaded firearm without an appropriate permit to carry a concealed weapon and that he had brandished this firearm and threatened a pedestrian. It also warned that Ioven had impersonated a law enforcement officer on several occasions. While this Bulletin was sent out to other law enforcement agencies, its publication somehow made its way back to Ioven.
In response to learning that his character had been besmirched in this Bulletin, Ioven brought a civil action against Nestel and his employer (SEPTA) for slander and defamation. Ioven contended that Nestel had published the Bulletin in the scope of his employment with SEPTA and that Nestel knew (or should have known) that the statements were false. The trial court dismissed Ioven’s claims and Ioven appealed to the Commonwealth Court.
SEPTA is a Commonwealth agency which means it is protected by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, a common law concept that meant a common man could not sue the King. There are certain categories where the Pennsylvania Legislature has waived sovereign immunity as it relates to its governmental agencies, but the waiver of sovereign immunity is limited to 9 specific categories of exceptions. The Commonwealth Court described these exceptions to sovereign immunity as involving the following types of cases: “vehicle liability; medical-professional liability; care, custody, or control of personal property; Commonwealth real estate, highways, and sidewalks; potholes and other dangerous conditions; care, custody and control of animals; liquor store cases; National Guard activities; and toxoids and vaccines.” Obviously, slander and defamation cases were not included in the exceptions to sovereign immunity that the Legislature has carved out.
Ioven argued, however, that sovereign immunity does not apply to willful misconduct of a government employee. The Commonwealth Court recognized that sovereign immunity does not cover “local agency employees . . . where their actions constitute a crime, actual fraud, actual malice or willful misconduct.” Nestel, however, was not an employee of a local governmental agency (such as a county or municipal agency); rather, Nestel was an employee of a Commonwealth agency, namely SEPTA.
The Commonwealth Court concluded: “Commonwealth employees do not lose their immunity for intentional torts, provided they are acting within the scope of their employment. Here, Ioven admitted in his complaint that Nestel acted within the scope of his employment when he made the statements in the Bulletin.” Because Ioven had conceded that Nestel acted within the scope of his employment, the Commonwealth Court concluded that he was entitled to sovereign immunity, i.e., he could not be sued for damages even if Nestel had intentionally made false statements about Ioven in the Bulletin and then published it to various law enforcement agencies. The Commonwealth Court affirmed the dismissal of Ioven’s complaint.
The distinction between being an employee of a local government agency as opposed to being an employee of a Commonwealth agency is a significant one. If Nestel had been a local municipal police chief, then he would not have been entitled to sovereign immunity. Because Nestel was a police chief for a Commonwealth (State) agency, sovereign immunity applied. In the law, there are times that distinctions that do not seem to be very significant on their face can result in very different results.
Tattoos and body gauging – The cost of cool
Joanie, 23, just graduated from college. She majored in elementary education and wanted to get a teaching job that involved third graders. Joanie was always a wild child, trying out new things, often without thinking through the consequences. Most notably, she had gotten a variety of tattoos on her arms and her neck, and also had her ears gauged or “stretched” to accommodate some hardware she put through her earlobes. She went to the pharmacist for advice. “I want to start applying for teaching positions, but I am afraid my ears and my arms and neck are going to be a turn off.” The pharmacist reluctantly agreed that it was not the best way to present oneself, especially if applying for a job that is going to involve inquisitive, impressionable children. “I wish I could turn back time,” Joanie lamented.
The pharmacist realized that Joanie wanted a quick fix. In reality, the fix would be neither quick nor cheap. First off, Homo sapiens have been piercing and tattooing their bodies for millennia. In terms of piercing, any protrusion – ears, noses, tongues, nipples, navels, and genitalia (male and female) – can be poked through with needles, bones or sticks. And any part of the body can be tattooed. Certain tribes and ethnicities have been using these types of body modifications for religious reasons, for the purpose of identification, or to increase sexual satisfaction. Among today’s youth, however, such efforts are usually to express a sense of individuality.
Yet, there are prices to be paid for your freedom to be inked. Tattoo ink – the same grade as automotive paint and printer ink – is considered permanent. Nevertheless, it is sometimes possible to remove a tattoo, fully or partially, with laser treatments. Typically, black and some colored inks can be removed more completely than inks of other colors. The expense and pain associated with removing tattoos are typically greater than the expense and pain associated with applying them. Prior to laser treatments, tattoos can be removed with via dermabrasion, salabrasion (scrubbing the skin with salt), cryosurgery, and excision—which are sometimes still used along with skin grafts for larger tattoos. These older methods, however, have been nearly completely replaced by laser removal treatment options. Temporary tattoos involve the use of henna and ballpoint ink and tend to fade over time. Temporary tattoos appear to be the smarter way to go considering that the average cost of removing a permanent tattoo by laser is $5,000 and could take anywhere up to a year, or 10 or more laser sessions.
Piercing removal depends on the area and degree of the piercing. For example, nipple piercing is usually simple to correct. Piercing is an invasive procedure with risks. In a 2005 survey of 10,503 persons over the age of 16 in England, complications were reported in 31% of piercings, with professional help necessary in 15%. Approximately 1% had complications serious enough to require hospitalization. Complications include infection and allergic reactions to the metal of the piercing jewelry, especially nickel. There may be excessive scar tissue as well as oral trauma, such as dental fractures. A number of factors can affect the cost of ear surgery, notably the extent of the procedure, where it is performed and the surgeon performing the treatment. In general, the cost of earlobe surgery ranges from about $400 to $900, although it can be higher for more extreme earlobe piercings.
So, Joanie has some work cut out for herself in terms of money and time. While it is great of be free to express oneself, interviewing a young college graduate for a responsible job while he or she is inked and/or stretched is a troubling distraction. Get tattoos not visible to the public or temporary tattoos that fade over time. And skip the piercings that are socially off-putting.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com
