Dimock/Elk Lake – Lorinda Lathrop was born near Elk Lake in the year 1827, and has lived in Dimock township all her life.  At the age of 23 she married Jonathan Kellogg who died Jan. 8, 1898.  Since his death she has made her home with her only daughter, Mrs. W. J. Brodhead.  On her 90th birthday, May 9th, a few of her friends made her a surprise party, and it was a real surprise to her for she had forgotten it was her birthday.  She received many tokens as a remembrance of the day for which she is very thankful.  Twenty-seven sat down to dinner.  All had a pleasant time, but none enjoyed the occasion more than Mrs. Kellogg, although afflicted with deafness and poor eye sight, she takes an active interest in the affairs of her friends and neighbors.

Thompson - W. S. Wright is building three cottages at Coxton Lake for parties from Peckville.

Great Bend – The patriotic celebration by Hallstead and Great Bend citizens was a big success, many people being unable to gain admission to the Opera House, held last Tuesday evening. A flag-raising was held at the corner of Church and Pine streets. Warren F. Simrell gave an address.  This was followed by a concert by the Susquehanna band.  E. A. Harmes introduced S. M. Collender, of Scranton, a veteran of the Civil War, who sang several selections.  W. A. Skinner, of Susquehanna, and Dr. J. J. Lawrence, of Binghamton, were the speakers of the evening.

Harford – A band of gypsies were through here last Friday.  They had with them a bear that would dance; and also a monkey.

Silver Lake – Miss Nellie Heavy, of St. Joseph, and Jas. Sweeney, of this place, were married at St. Joseph’s church on Wednesday, April 25.  Their many friends extend congratulations.

Glenwood – A few weeks ago our Editor requested his correspondents not to send so many visiting messages, but more births, deaths and marriages instead.  We are glad to report that we haven’t any slackers in this vicinity, getting married [and] trying to evade military service during the war.

Jersey Hill, Auburn Township – The G. A. R. Post members will hold memorial exercises here, May 30, beginning at 1 p.m. sharp.  There will be a good speaker and good singing for the occasion.  Let everyone come and show honor and respect for the dear old veterans, who did so much for us and our country.

Herrick Township – Little Elsie Bonham, 7-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bonham, was struck by a locomotive on Monday afternoon while returning from school.  At last reports she was still alive and the outlook was hopeful for her complete recovery.  Accompanied by her 9-year-old sister, Leila, and little cousin, Leland Bennett, the children waited for a northbound D & H train to pass the crossing.  This shut out the view of an oncoming southbound train, and the children found themselves directly in front of it.  The two children managed to cross safely, but the little girl was struck by the bumper and thrown a considerable distance.  She was carried, unconscious, to the office of Dr. Craft and it was several hours before she regained consciousness.  No bones were broken but she was badly bruised.  This is a dangerous crossing, and at the insistence of the Public Service Commission the work of installing electric signal bells was started Monday. [If this is Elsie Amanda Bonham, she did recover.  She was born Dec. 4, 1909 and died August 21, 2001 and is buried in the Myers Cemetery, Herrick Township.]

Montrose – We are to be favored with the first real circus of the season on May 24.  The LaTina’s big three-ring circus and wild-west show will exhibit for one day only, giving performances afternoon and evening.  This show is of considerable size and furnishes a ring performance deserving the very highest praise.  The management claims the show in its entirety to be perfectly free from any immoral, suggestive or lewd features, and especially attractive to ladies and children. The circus will also carry two score American cowboys and cowgirls, who give a typical western exhibition.  The big, free street parade is worth going far to see, many cages of wild beasts being open to the public.

Bennett’s Corners, Auburn Twp. – Homer Brugler’s family have had a great deal of sickness this winter and Mr. Brugler, one of the hardest working men in this section, was getting behind with some of his work, so ten of his neighbors and friends took their teams and plows and went to plowing his corn ground.  Along about 3 o’clock something happened to one of the plows, and the man went down to the barn to get Homer’s plow, and that was the first Homer knew of the plowing bee.  It is, needless to say, that he was surprised, and wasn’t long getting to the field with apples, etc.  They finished about 5 o’clock and every man went home feeling better for having done a kindly act for a neighbor.

Rush – A handsome [Ford] automobile hearse, which undertaker F. A. Bedell, of East Rush, has lately added to his equipment, attracted much attention last Sunday afternoon.  It is painted in a somber grey and is artistically finished.  Mr. Bedell is progressive and believes in keeping abreast of the times. ALSO  The Fargo School house [Dist. #13] and Tupper School house [Dist. #9] will be sold at auction on May 19th.  The Fargo School house at 1 p.m. and the Tupper at 3 p.m. on said premises.  Also, the land where the Fargo School house is.  Charles L. Bowen, Sec’y.

Hop Bottom – Miss Arethusia Sophronia Dillpickle is suing Wilmer Miner for breach of promise and the case will be heard in the Mock Trial to be held in the Methodist church, Thursday evening, May 24.  Judge F. A. Davies, of Montrose, will preside.

Springville – Many friends were pained to learn of the fire that swept away the large, new garage, of Stuart Riley & Son, Tuesday afternoon of last week.  While the building is a total loss, Minot Riley, the junior member and manager of the firm, told us that he expected that all the machinery in their repair department could be saved.  The repair department has been moved, temporarily, to D. E. Tuttle’s shop.  Messrs. Riley will rebuild as soon as possible.  Gasoline was being used in cleaning a motor, when it is presumed the fumes caught from a stove in the building.  There was no insurance.  One automobile, belonging to Bert Thomas, undergoing repairs, was destroyed.  A new car was saved.

News Brief – The Erie railroad will replace all male clerks in its employ with women.  It is announced 3,000 men will be affected.

200 Years Ago Today, from the Montrose Centinel, May 18, 1817.

*SHERIFF SALE.  By virtue of a writ of Benditioni Exponas to me directed, will be exposed to sale on Saturday the 7th day of June next, at 1 o’clock P.M., at the Court House in the town of Montrose, all the right and title of William Rockwell to a certain piece of land situate in the township of Bridgewater, bounded on the east by lands of Eli Gregory, south by lands of John Phinney, west by lands of James Stephens and north by lands of Peter Davis, containing 50 acres, 12 acres under improvement and a log house, being the lot on which said Rockwell now lives.  AUSTIN HOWELL, Sheriff.  Sheriff’s Office, Montrose, May 16, 1817.

*PAY YOUR DEBTS.  ALL persons indebted to Herrick & Fordham, whose accounts have been three months standing, must pay on or before the 3D OF JUNE NEXT, or their accounts will be put in the hands of persons who will send them a few lines to quicken their memories, headed Susquehanna County, ss. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, andc. which will be read to them by a person duly authorized to carry a LONG STAFF. Therefore you had all better look out for No. ONE.  Montrose, May 17, 1817.

As you may recall from previous columns, local government entities are generally immune from tort liability.  In certain circumstances, a local government may be liable for tortious conduct where (1) the government entity would have been liable under common law; (2) a statute provides for such liability; (3) the negligent conduct that caused the injury was caused by a government employee acting within the scope of employment; or (4) the immunity has been waived under the Tort Claims Act.  One of the most common exceptions under the Tort Claims Act is the “real property” exception, i.e., injuries caused by the negligent care, custody and control of local government real property or real estate.  This exception does not apply to intentional trespassers on local government land.

The application of this particular exception can be difficult as demonstrated in the recent case of Gillingham v. County of Delaware.  In that case, Gillingham was a title searcher who was working in the Delaware County Recorder’s office.  As she was sitting at a computer terminal, and without her knowledge, her feet because entangled in a web of computer wires under the desk.  As she attempted to stand up and leave that station, her foot snagged, she tripped, fell and sustained injuries.

Gillingham then initiated a civil action against Delaware County seeking to recover for her injuries.  She alleged that the county had been negligent in its “failure to inspect and maintain the floor” and that the county failed to assure that the floor area was safe and not dangerously cluttered with computer and electrical cables.  In response, Delaware County argued that it was entitled to immunity from tort liability.  Gillingham responded by asserting that the maintenance and control of the public area of the Recorder’s Office fell under the real property exception in the Tort Claims Act.  The trial court determined that the county was entitled to immunity from tort liability and Gillingham appealed.

On appeal, the Superior Court noted that there were two approaches in addressing the real property exception to the Tort Claims Act: (1) whether the injury was caused by the care, custody and control of the county real property; or (2) whether the personal property that caused the injury was affixed to the county’s real property.  As to the first category, the Superior Court explained that the injuries must be caused by the maintenance of the real property itself, i.e., a government employee who mopped a floor but allowed too much water to accumulate.  As to the second category, the Superior Court noted that where personal property is not actually affixed to real property, then it remains personal property and the real property exception does not apply.

The Superior Court agreed with the trial court’s determination that the county was immune from tort liability.  The Superior Court found that the jumble of cables had nothing to do with the maintenance of the floor itself, but related to the placement of the county’s personal property, i.e., the computer equipment and its cables.  There was no dispute that the computers were not affixed to the county real property – they were simply plugged into outlets that were easily removable.  As such, the Superior Court concluded: “An object on [the county’s] real property does not fall within the exception unless it is a fixture.  The computer cables were not affixed to the Recorder of Deeds Office and are not part of the real property.”  As a result, Gillingham cannot seek to recover damages from Delaware County for her injuries.

How do I know if my antidepressant is working?

That should be a straight forward question to answer. “If I feel better, it's working, right?” Bob timidly asked the pharmacist.  Bob’s drug profile was pulled up by the pharmacist who ran through the list of antidepressants that Bob has been prescribed over the years: Zoloft®, Celexa®, Cymbalta®, Effexor®, Pristiq®, and now, for the last 3 months, Viibryd®, Bob said to the pharmacist. “I have been depressed for so long I don't have a benchmark to judge what feeling good will be like. I don't expect to just be happy all the time, but I do expect an improvement in mood. I don't really know what a good mood is, just bad moods and worse moods. And the side effects with some of these medications cancelled out any minor mood improvement they generated.”

For many people, finding the right depression treatment is a trial-and-error process. The largest study that looked at the effectiveness of antidepressants, the STAR*D Report, found that only 37% of the 4,041 study patients experienced relief of their depression symptoms after trying one antidepressant. Even after trying 4 different depression treatments, only 67% experienced symptom resolution. So Bob is not alone in that respect. However, the pharmacist noticed a few things. Bob does not always get his prescription refilled on time. Even though his prescriber writes for a 30-day supply, Bob will come in after 40 or 50 days, meaning he is missing doses, and therefore, is not getting the full benefit of his medication. Also, Bob’s prescriber should increase the dose of one antidepressant before switching to another. But in the presence of intolerable side effects, a change to another drug may be necessary.

Different types of depression have different symptoms and need more individualized treatment. For instance, psychotic depression causes one to see, feel or hear things that are not real. This type of depression often needs more aggressive treatment than antidepressants alone. Many people have a mix of depression and anxiety. The two conditions are not the same. Anxiety may require a different treatment. Other disorders that can coexist with depression include substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, heart disease, and cancer. When these conditions are successfully managed, depression treatment will likely work better.

A patient may feel “better” after 6 to 12 months of antidepressant therapy, and announce that s/he wants to stop the medication. The prescriber may do one of two things: put the patient on a “drug holiday” – also known as a structured treatment interruption – in which a patient stops taking a medication for a period of time to see whether depressive symptoms recur or whether the side effects, such as sexual side effects or weight gain, lessen. Or the prescriber may slowly taper the patient off the drug by instructing the patient to alternate doses (e.g. 10 mg one day, 20 mg the next day and so on). The importance of slowly tapering off depression medications, rather than going cold turkey, cannot be stressed enough. Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (Celexa®), escitalopram (Lexapro®), fluoxetine (Prozac®), paroxetine (Paxil®), sertraline (Zoloft®), and vilazodone (Viibryd®), can produce physical symptoms of withdrawal if one suddenly stops taking them. So, the doctor can reduce the dosage of medication slowly, usually over weeks or months.

Only Joe and his doctor know exactly the factors that constitute Joe’s depression, such as whether he sleeps a lot or not at all – both symptoms of depression. Joe should definitely have a talk about how he feels and what he can do to gauge the effectiveness of the medications he takes.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com