Forest City – Two ladies from this place attended a meeting of a certain society in Uniondale recently.  They became absorbed in the deliberations and when they came from the meeting they found that the train had gone.  There they were and Forest City six miles away.  They had to prepare breakfast for their hubbies the following morning and the only alternative was to walk.  And they did. ALSO Monday morning when M. H Loomis, the milkman, stepped into the Model Restaurant for lunch, he left his team standing in front of the restaurant.  He had hardly entered when his team became frightened and ran on the sidewalk and into Morris Kasson’s plate glass window and broke it into a hundred pieces.  They then backed out and proceeded across the street, but turned before they got to the McGrath barber shop and ran down the street to where they collided with E. E. Horton’s laundry sleigh in front of the Candy Kitchen, and were stopped.  The sleigh pole struck the Horton horse near the shoulder and inflicted a ragged wound.  The shafts of the Horton sleigh were smashed.  No damage was done to the Loomis team or to the load of milk.

Uniondale – Section Foreman Gettle is kept busy in his efforts to keep the railroad clear of snow.  It is shovel, shovel, from early morning to close of day and then the same thing is repeated at night.  With the deep falls of snow and the numerous wrecks the men feel the severe strain.

Montrose – Fire completely destroyed the large planing mill, owned and operated by Clark L. Stephens, in the rear of the Exchange Hotel property, South Main street. Poor water pressure at the start could not help to quell the flames and the building was practically burned to the ground. Acting Chief D. A. Watrous, Geo. B. Felker, Carlisle Smith and G.D. Ayres, as well as several others, had a narrow escape when the west wall gave way and the blazing timbers crashed outward. The mill was originally built for a fork factory and as such was operated by the late Azur and George Lathrop, it having been started shortly after the Crandall toy factory burned in the late ‘80’s.

Susquehanna – Plans are being considered by the Erie railroad for the enlarging of the shops here.  The main shops of the Erie are located there and with enlargement it will mean that hundreds of men will have to be brought here.  The company is asking the co-operation of the residents of the town in housing the men. At the present time a force of men have been engaged at the Shops, putting in a big steam hammer, which will be used to pound up large masses of scrap iron and steel into frames for locomotives.  Several tons of metal are being heated at a time before being placed under the big hammer to be pounded into the desired shape.

Hop Bottom – Those who like whole-wheat bead know there is nothing more wholesome.  Parties who have been unable to secure this kind of flour will be interested to know that the Foster Milling Co., of this place, has a liberal supply now in stock.

Harford – The high school has decided to purchase a service flag in honor of the young men who have been drafted or volunteered. Thus far, the names are: Claude Lewis, Frank Bell, Harold Adams, Ross Greenwood, Frank Hill, Howard Meade, Eldridge Shoupe, Paul Smith, Simon March, Hallie Forsythe, Stanley Adams, Paul Wilcox, Wayne Booth, George Booth, William Gillispie, Henry Jones, Clayton Sweetser, Washington Gow, Clifton Brainard, Bruce Hawley, Otwell Potter, Harold Chamberlain and Prof. Leigh Allen.

Brooklyn – Delbert, young son of Archie Salisbury, had the misfortune to have his hand caught in the cogs of a fodder cutter one day last week and three fingers were so badly injured that it was necessary to amputate them.  Dr Preston attended him.

Clifford – W. C. Richards and G. S. Hallstead are both well-known citizens of this place, and a pair of sturdier, more imposing men would be difficult to picture.  Both stand over 6 ft., with symmetrical, well-proportioned bodies, and it is unnecessary to assert that they always command attention and respect—especially the latter, when in the presence of men the size of the writer, at least.  They appear as chummy as boys, though their hair is tinged with gray.  Both have seen the day when they could split and pile four cords of wood in a day, with their axes, so they said, and after looking them over casually, we did not feel it discreet to question any assertions they might chose to make, especially when they are together.

Lanesboro – The finding of what was thought to be a bomb under the Starrucca bridge has been reported to be a practical joke, as it proved to be a can filled with water. However strict vigilance should be maintained as the destruction of this important bridge would sadly cripple the transporting ability of the Erie, as well as destroying one of the wonders of stone bridge construction.

Silver Lake – The sleighing is fine.  The skating on Quaker Lake and Laurel Lake was fine before the last snow.

Birchardville – A cablegram received by C. D Dayton announced the safe arrival of the ship on which his son, Elmer Dayton, was a passenger, at a foreign port.  He will act as a Y. M. C. A. secretary in France.

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, Montrose, Pa, January 18, 1818.

*A bill passed the Lower House to incorporate a company for the purpose of making a Turnpike from this place to Nicholas M,Carty’s in New Milford.  After the holidays are over and the members get regulated we shall rejoice.  Thousands of dollars of public money are annually squandered away by the public servants in this state in keeping, what they call the holidays, which continue two weeks.  Such things are abominable, and ought to be abolished.

*Reward to Revolutionary Soldiers. “We cannot omit introducing a circumstance which shews [correct spelling] the timely benevolence of the President in calling the attention of Congress to this subject; --which is—that within a few hours of the moment we are now writing, we were supplicated by an aged man (say of 63) for the donation of a quarter of a dollar, to purchase food; he declared that for 18 hours he had not broken his fast, and was destitute of a cent.  This person, whose look confirmed his distress, we know, was a captain of Artillery in the United States army, at the commencement of the revolution; was severely wounded in the campaign of 1776 on Long Island; was a long time a prisoner; served through the war of Independence, and obtained the brevet of Major at its conclusion” Boston Cent.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Craig Acord was stationed at the Trevose Station in Bensalem, Pennsylvania where he met and began a romantic relationship with Trooper Rachel Jones.  In 2014, the romantic relationship ended.  Thereafter, Trooper Jones began to make complaints to her supervisors that Trooper Acord was harassing her in the workplace.  Two such complaints by Trooper Jones were investigated and dismissed by a State Police internal employment investigation.

In December 2015, Trooper Jones bypassed her commanding officer and filed a petition in the Court of Common Pleas seeking a protective order against Trooper Acord based upon the same harassing behavior that the State Police internal investigation had dismissed.  The trial court found that there was sufficient evidence to support the entry of a protective order against Trooper Acord.  The trial court entered a final protective order for a period of two years which contained a specific condition that Trooper Acord could not possess or carry a firearm.

As a result of the issuance of a protective order against Trooper Acord, the State Police initiated a third investigation of his conduct and eventually dismissed him from his employment.  In particular, the State Police noted that the trial court had determined that Trooper Acord had engaged in a course of conduct toward Trooper Jones that placed her in reasonable fear of bodily injury.  It was specifically this conduct – and not the prohibition for possessing a firearm – for which the State Police fired Trooper Acord.

Trooper Acord filed a grievance to his dismissal and sought reinstatement to his position as a Pennsylvania State Trooper – and the arbitrator directed that Trooper Acord be reinstated.  The Pennsylvania State Police appealed the arbitrator’s decision to the Commonwealth Court.

As many of these cases often turn out, the case hinged upon the nature of the paperwork that was filed in connection with the termination request.  The Commonwealth Court noted that Trooper Acord was discharged based upon two violations: “Unbecoming Conduct” and “Conformance to Laws.”  The State Police did not discharge Trooper Acord based upon his inability to perform an essential job function, i.e., to carry a firearm.

Under the Pennsylvania State Police Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are definitions relating to “Unbecoming Conduct” and “Conformance to Laws.”  For instance, a trooper is prohibited from committing any felony or misdemeanor offense that carries a potential sentence of over 1 year.  Moreover, as to allegations of domestic violence, there is a requirement that the abusive conduct must involve physical abuse or rise to the level of a crime punishable by over 1 year of incarceration.  In this regard, the Commonwealth Court determined that the factual findings made by the trial judge in the PFA proceeding did not meet any of those requirements.  While Trooper Acord had engaged in abusive conduct under the Protection From Abuse Act, the Collective Bargaining Agreement did not include such abuse as sufficient grounds to terminate a state trooper.  The Commonwealth Court ordered that Trooper Jones be reinstated.

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Patricia McCullough found that there was sufficient evidence that Trooper Acord had engaged in criminal stalking behavior – and that the trial court’s findings in the PFA proceeding essentially reached that conclusion.  Given that the offense of stalking is punishable by over a year of incarceration, Judge McCullough determined that the State Police properly discharged Trooper Acord.  Further, the dissenting opinion noted that reinstating Trooper Acord violated the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement as it was undisputed that Trooper Acord could no longer perform an essential job function of a state trooper in that he was prohibited from possessing and using a firearm

Where collective bargaining agreements exist, these cases can be won or lost on procedural errors made in connection with the termination decisions.  An appellate court is stuck with the record created in the arbitration proceeding just as the arbitrator is stuck with the documentation and evidence submitted to support a termination.  If mistakes are made in that process, the end result can seem counter intuitive to those outside of the legal world.

“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues.” ~Hal Borland (1900-1978)

A Happy New year of Reading to all!

If you received an E-Book in your stocking, be sure to check out the ebook titles which are available through the Library Website Susqcolibrary.org and make a resolution to visit your Local Library Location often—there are always new items to discover!

The Montrose Library Location now has a dedicated “Book Sale Room”. It is right next to the Adult Reference Section and has genres for everyone’s taste. The inventory is forever changing,, so plan to visit often—you never know what gems you may find! Adult Books are $2.00, Children’s Books are $1.00 and Paperbacks are .50.

The Susquehanna Branch Reader’s Group met last Thursday, January 11th and discussed not one, but two books— The January Selection, “Even Silence has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle” by Ingrid Betancourt, was found to be an unforgettable epic of moral courage and human endurance--a memoir which is not for the faint of heart. During her campaign for the Colombian Presidency in 2002, Ms. Betancourt traveled into a military-controlled region, where she was abducted by the FARC, a brutal terrorist guerrilla organization which is in conflict with the government. Her book is a deeply moving and personal account of her six and a half years living as a captive in the depths of the Colombian Jungle. December’s title “The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto” by Mitch Albom was also reviewed by the group. If you are a Mitch Albom fan (“Tuesdays With Morrie”, “Five People You Meet in Heaven”, “For One More Day”, “The Time Keeper”, etc), you will discover that Author Albom has created his most unforgettable character—Frankie Presto, the greatest guitarist ever to walk the earth. He is sent to America when he is nine, in the bottom of a boat with an old guitar with six magic strings—his journey through the music world rockets him to stardom, but he also influences some well-known names as you travel through this magical novel about the power of talent to change our lives. The February Selection will be “Before the Fall” by Noah Hawley. If you would like to join the Reader’s Group, please visit the Susquehanna Branch Library. Laura, Pam, Deb and Elizabeth would be more than happy to sign you up.

There is a sad note in the literary world with the start of the New Year. To all of her devoted Fans, Author Sue Grafton passed away on December 29th. Her Daughter, Jamie posted this heartfelt note on Facebook for all of her Readers which I wish to share with you:

“I am sorry to tell you all that Sue passed away last night after a two year battle with cancer. She was surrounded by Family, including her

devoted and adoring Husband, Steve. Although we knew this was coming, it was unexpected and fast. She had been fine up until just a few days ago, then things moved quickly. Sue always said that she would continue writing as long as she had the juice. Many of you also know that she was adamant that her books would never be turned into movies or TV shows, and, in the same vein, she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of all of those things, and out of the deep, abiding love and respect for our dear sweet Sue, as far as we, in the Family, are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y.” Your Local  Library Location has “Sue’s Alphabet” from A through and including Y on its shelves, as well as the novel, “Kinsey and me: Stories” for your enjoyment. May we keep her Family in our Thoughts and Prayers and her talent alive for future Readers.

As I watch the Cardinals come to the feeder for Sunflower Seeds,

I leave you with this thought:

“We spend January walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” ~ Ellen Goodman

Ice skates—Snow Days—Hot Chocolate

Enjoy!

You want bigger body parts.  But at what cost?

Mrs. Smith was admittedly the town gossip. She gleefully approached the pharmacist and whispered, “Did you hear about Betty Brown? She had a pumping party last week right in her kitchen! So if you see anyone around town who looks a little different, she was probably at Betty’s pumping party.” And off went Mrs. Smith to continue spreading the news.

What is a “pumping party”? It is a gathering that consists of a person illegally injecting industrial-grade silicone, used in the plumbing, automotive and air-conditioning industries, into body parts to make them appear larger and plumper. Body parts include lips, breasts, buttocks, calves, and even penises.

Typically, the person who performs the injections is not a licensed professional. Such people are not trained as to how to inject others with this filler, resulting in deaths. Hence, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently released a report warning consumers against the use of injectable silicone for breast and body contouring. The FDA cautions that Injectable silicone is often administered by unlicensed medical practitioners in nonclinical settings or in countries other than the US. These forms of injectable silicone are not regulated, and may contain impurities that can kill.

The commonly used injectable form of industrial-grade silicone is not approved by the FDA for use in the human body. This oil differs from the silicone material used in FDA-approved breast implants and from the silicone oil used for ophthalmic use.  The FDA warning on injectable silicone, either in liquid or oil form, is due to the following risks: infections, chronic pain, the formation of granulomas (painful masses of inflamed tissue), permanent contour deformities, and embolism. Some side effects appear soon after receiving injections, but can occur months or years later.

Migration (movement away from the intended site) can also occur. Localized inflammation can present issues of its own, including exerting pressure on nearby nerves, which can affect sensation and movement of the facial muscles. Also, the quality sometimes touted as silicone’s main advantage — its permanence — is also possibly its biggest liability. If things go south, liquid silicone is impossible to remove without causing significant, and often disfiguring, damage to the surrounding tissue.

Yet, many professionals tout the use of medical-grade – not industrial grade – silicone because of its ease of use, long-lasting results, and low cost as compared with other available injectable fillers. They maintain that liquid silicone injections have been successfully used for decades for filling acne scars, improving facial areas affected by AIDS-induced lipoatrophy, and even non-surgical rhinoplasty.

If you want a bigger butt, bosom, and/or Mr. Happy, then talk with a licensed medical practitioner about appropriate treatments and potential risks associated with these procedures. Your best bet is to locate a board-certified physician in a specialty like plastic surgery, dermatology, or otolaryngology. Ask your pharmacist for help finding such specialists.

As for Mrs. Smith, the pharmacist thought that perhaps she should get her lips plumped to such a degree that she cannot open her mouth and spread anymore gossip.

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