County’s Young Men Drawn for War. – In its issue of July 12th, The Montrose Democrat published a list of all the young men of Susquehanna County who registered for military service, with their registration numbers. The great lottery of human lives took place in Washington. The gross quota for this county is 312, and out of this we have a credit of 76, leaving 236 men needed. Twice this number, of 472, will be called before the exemption board for examination and their names appear in another column of The Democrat.
Laurel Lake – The dances at Laurel Lake, given under the direction of F. E. Sullivan, are becoming more and more popular with the young people. The hall has been greatly improved and beautified and the music is always of the best.
Forest City – The population of Susquehanna County is 37,746. Forest City, Pa., has sent more of her sons than the quota of the entire county. Over 100 young men of this place have enlisted in the various branches of the service since the beginning of the war. ALSO Sunday was the warmest day of the season. It was too hot for the Independents and they suffered defeat in a game with the Independents of Dickson City as a consequence. The crowd at the game was not as large as common and little interest was shown by the spectators. Cavanaugh was in fine fettle but received rotten support by his teammates. Error after error by the locals at opportune times proved costly and the game was lost after the fourth stanza. Next Saturday the locals will cross bats with a strong team from down the valley.
Hop Bottom – The first man to be called for military service, under the draft lottery drawing, was Wade Squier, who registered with postoffice address as, “R. D. Hop Bottom, Pa.” His number was 258, this being the first number drawn at Washington. Mr. Squier is a widower, with three small children, aged 2, 3 and 6 years. It would seem that he has claims for exemption. He has been living in Brooklyn township, but is now working in Nicholson township, just over the county line. He is a son of Lyman Squier.
Springville – Two runaways within the last week. A span of horses belonging to James Bunnell, and driven by his grandson, John, ran down the depot hill, after he had delivered the milk at the station. They plunged into the fence in front of W. E. Stevens’ blacksmith shop. Both horses were thrown in such a way as to place their heels together, but heads in opposite direction. A crowd of men soon gathered. The horses sustained no injury and with a new bolt, they were soon on their way home. On Monday, Bruce Williams, of Lynn, had a runaway also. He had been up to Springville with his milk and going home his team became unmanageable, and but for W. E. Stevens and Dean Baker, would have been a severe one. They were stopped in Lynn by Mr. Stevens wielding a big whip in front of them, turning their course in front of Mr. Sheldon’s house and were stopped by Mr. Baker.
Montrose – The Bible conference opens tomorrow, July 27. One of the best programs in the history of the conference has been arranged. Commencing Friday noon, George Haldeman, of Springville, will run his big passenger truck between the conference grounds and down town, making trips every half hour. Fare, 5 cents. The regular conference auto will meet all trains. Fare to grounds, 10 cents. ALSO at the borough limits in Montrose are erected signs restricting the speed of motor vehicles to ten miles per hour in the borough and a certain Laceyville man, after trying to get over the various streets, is of the opinion that a sign denoting a speed limit of 5 miles an hour would be more compatible with safety.
Brooklyn – The ladies of this place have been sewing busily for the last few weeks and have just sent to Red Cross headquarters a large package of completed articles, including bandages, bed socks, fracture pillows, covers for hot water bottles, bed shirts, and operating gowns. Also knitted wash cloths, scarfs and sweaters.
New Milford – Ward Cobb has enlisted in the Thirteenth Regiment at Scranton.
Lake View – Miles Tyler left last week for Newport, R. I., where he begins training in naval service.
Harford – The South Harford Book Club will meet August 1st at the home of Mrs. Emily Payne, and may a large attendance be present. ALSO Berry picking is all the rage here these days and so is haying.
Thompson – Walter L. Miller, son of Atty. John D. Miller and brother of Rep. Allan D. Miller, has enlisted and has been accepted in the aviation corps of the United States. Mr. Miller made application for enlistment last winter while at Cornell University, and was recently notified to appear for examination. He passed all tests, and was accepted, and will be called to duty in a short time.
Susquehanna – Among the boys in the olive drab, who are doing their bit in France for Uncle Sam, are four from our own home town: Stanley Beebe, Harold Rundell, Thomas Lynch, Washington street, and Thomas J. Lynch, Franklin Avenue.
Elk Lake – The drafting order hit this village hard, as it took in the majority of young men who registered. ALSO The Ladies Aid will meet in Grange hall on Wednesday for dinner. In the evening they will hold an ice cream social on the church lawn. Everyone come and go fishing. Heaps big fish in the pond.
Friendsville – Camp Choconut is open, with the largest attendance in its history.
Uniondale – S. H. Bronson, a few days ago, sold a large quantity of wool. It made us think of the days when every farmer had wool to sell.
News Briefs: There is a movement on foot by which the bodies of those who lose their lives on foreign battle fields may be brought home for burial, and those in favor of this movement should write their congressman.
200 Years Ago Today from the Montrose Centinel, Montrose, PA, July 19, 2017.
*Caution to the Public. All persons are hereby cautioned against purchasing a Note of hand given by the subscribers to Dana Fox in October Last, as no value has been received and we shall not pay it unless compelled by law. Joseph Jackson & Caleb Jackson. Waterford, July 24, 1817.
*Ten Dollars Reward. Stolen from the subscriber on the night of the 17th inst. a first rate English WATCH, capt, set in diamonds, a round steel chain and gold key in the form of two 6’s with two small balls betwixt. Said watch was last repaired [by] George Gordon in Newburgh. Whoever will apprehend the thief that he may be brought to justice and secure the watch that the owner may get it, shall have the above reward, or five dollars for the watch. CHRISTOPHER LONGSTREET. Great Bend, July 18, 1817.
*Will be disposed of at PUBLIC VENDUE, ON Friday, the 8th of August next, at the house of Freeman Peck in Harford all the personal property of Truman Clinton, late of Clifford township, deceased. HOSEA TIFFANY, FREEMAN PECK, Administrators of said estate.
In September 2011, John Vetter and Amanda Jones attended a wedding reception in Berks County. Both parties consumed alcoholic beverages. When they decided to leave around 9:00 p.m., they determined that Vetter would drive home. As they were traveling home, another motorist, Anthony Miller, ended up behind them in his motor vehicle.
Vetter and Jones contended that Miller was tailgating their motor vehicle to the point where they could not even see Miller’s headlights in their rear view mirror. Conversely, Miller denied tailgating the Vetter vehicle, but suggested that Vetter was “spiking” his brakes in a reckless manner that brought the motor vehicles into close proximity to each other.
At a red light, Vetter got out of his motor vehicle and approached Miller’s motor vehicle. Miller remained in his motor vehicle but had his driver side window down. As Miller observed an angry Vetter approaching his motor vehicle, he got scared, attempted to flee in his motor vehicle, and struck and dragged Vetter approximately 100 feet. Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and determined that Vetter was intoxicated and belligerent. Vetter was later charged with a DUI offense for having a blood alcohol content of 0.09 percent, as well as a summary offense for driving with a suspended license and a summary offense of harassment. As part of a plea agreement, Vetter pled guilty to the DUI offense and suspended license offense, and the Commonwealth withdrew the harassment count.
Vetter then instituted a lawsuit against Miller for the injuries that he sustained when Miller struck and dragged him. The trial court allowed Miller to present evidence of Vetter’s DUI and suspended license convictions into evidence. The trial court also allowed the admission of the harassment charge even though Vetter was never convicted of that particular offense.
The jury returned a verdict finding that both parties had been negligent, but that Vetter’s proportionate share of the negligence was greater than fifty percent. Because the jury had determined that Vetter had the greater fault, Vetter was not permitted to recover damages from Miller. Vetter appealed contending that the trial court had erred in allowing the admission of his DUI conviction, his suspended license conviction, and his harassment charge.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court determined that the trial court properly admitted the DUI conviction into evidence. Given the severity of a DUI conviction, a guilty plea to such an offense may be used to prove underlying facts in a criminal case. The criminal conviction for a DUI offense was probative as to Vetter’s impairment and ability to properly operate his motor vehicle. Given the dispute between the parties as to the events leading up to the confrontation, the jury was entitled to know that Vetter was an intoxicated driver as such evidence was relevant to a determination of the underlying facts.
As to the summary conviction for driving with a suspended license, the Superior Court determined that trial court should not have admitted this evidence. Generally speaking, a conviction of a summary offenses (or traffic ticket offenses) is not admissible in a civil case simply because the courts consider summary offenses to be such minor offenses that a summary conviction may not be used to establish facts in a civil case. As to the resolution of a summary offense, the Superior Court noted that “expediency and convenience, rather than guilt, often control the defendant’s trial technique” in such cases. As to the harassment charge, the Superior Court simply noted that “evidence of an arrest without a conviction is not admissible in a civil case” as the “prejudicial impact of such evidence is apparent.”
Based upon the erroneous admission of this evidence, the Superior Court determined that the jury may have been improperly swayed and rendered its verdict based upon inadmissible evidence. For these reasons, the verdict was reversed and the matter was remanded for a new trial where the jury will be permitted to know that Vetter had been convicted of DUI, but not that he was convicted for driving with a suspended license or that he was charged with harassment for his behavior towards Miller.
The drug addicts use to get even higher
Bonnie came into the pharmacy and presented the pharmacist with a new prescription. The pharmacist said, "Your gabapentin is 2 weeks early. Your insurance may not cover an early refill." "Oh, that's OK," said Bonnie, "I can pay cash. I dropped the other ones in the toilet by accident." The pharmacist did not know this at the time, but gabapentin is rapidly becoming a drug of abuse.
Gabapentin (brand name Neurotin®) is increasingly being used by patients in methadone maintenance programs to get high, and this can put them at risk for accidents, injuries, and even death, say researchers. The drug has been on the market since 1993 and is indicated in the management of nerve pain, usually caused by herpes, and is used for a controlling certain types of seizures as well as for the treatment of restless leg syndrome.
Bonnie is in a pain management program in which she has been prescribed methadone to help her break her opioid addiction. She uses - or rather abuses - gabapentin because she knows she can get a stony buzz if she takes enough of it. Gabapentin is usually not one of the drugs for which patients are tested in treatment programs and Bonnie knows this. In her program, if the drug test shows positive for any drug of abuse, such as marijuana, cocaine, morphine, and so on, it can result in expulsion from the treatment program. She is aware that she can take as much gabapentin as she wants, and it will lead to euphoria and feeling sedated, but nobody will know if the program managers do not test for it. This is definitely a factor that is driving the increasing misuse of this drug.
She does not see her regular physician very often who usually gives her a gabapentin prescription with 12 refills. Because gabapentin is not a controlled substance, it has slipped under the radar of those who monitor the dispensing of drugs that are controlled substances. Before the pharmacist became cognizant of that drug's abuse potential, he often wondered why Bonnie often appeared sleepy and had poor balance. She also has a history of mishaps: 6 car accidents and 3 falls in the past 6 months, according to her mother who is becoming concerned about Bonnie's behavior. Data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) show that emergency room (ER) visits involving the nonmedical use of gabapentin have increased by 90% in the United States since 2008. In rural Kentucky, ED visits from the nonmedical use of gabapentin have increased 3000%. DAWN data also suggest that 20% of patients in treatment may misuse or abuse gabapentin.
Gabapentin in combination with a benzodiazepine, for example, or in conjunction with an opiate, and potentially even in combination with alcohol will potentiate the effect of those substances, and practicing addicts like that extra kick. Clinicians should use caution when considering gabapentin, particularly with opioid-dependent patients or those with a history of nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Providers should assess patients' drug abuse history when prescribing gabapentin, as well as monitor patients for any signs of misuse or abuse. Prescribers and pharmacists should watch patients for the development of tolerance, unauthorized escalation of dosing, and requests for early refills or other unusual behavior. Prescribers should consider requesting testing for the presence of gabapentin in urine drug screens if abuse is suspected.
And so with that, the pharmacist had a chat with Bonnie's doctor who put her on a downward taper so she would not suffer too many withdrawal symptoms and who also called her treatment program manager.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com
