Susquehanna - A white parrot, owned by George Turner, died recently as the result of the extreme cold.  The parrot was 42 years old and was brought over from England by the owner when he came to this country 19 years ago.  It was prized highly by the owner.  It was a good talker.

Montrose/New Milford – The State Highway Dept. advertises for bids for paving the streets of Montrose and New Milford.  This is the most encouraging symptom yet shown of the two towns getting the long-looked for paving this summer.

Great Bend – An acetylene gas generator exploded in the home of Frank Tiel, at Hickory Grove, last week, demolishing the residence and seriously injuring Mrs. Tiel, who was alone in the house.  Mr. Tiel rushed from the barn and carried his wife, who was unconscious and badly burned, to the home of Milton Brush, half a mile away.  Dr. D. J. Peck was called.  The house burned to the ground.

South Gibson – Our townspeople were much distressed and shocked when we received a telephone message saying Glen Howell was killed, crushed by the wrecking train, on his way home from Cochecton, where he had been at work on a big wreck. He had been coupling cars.  He leaves a wife and two little girls to mourn his untimely death, besides his aged mother and brothers and sisters.

Montrose – Wm. Welliver purchased the C-Nic theatre at a bankruptcy sale for $300.  He will make improvements and thoroughly renovate same. ALS0 The death of Kenneth Warner occurred at Camp Hancock, Georgia, on Sunday, Feb. 10th, 1918, from pneumonia. His death removes from here one of the best loved young men of the town, one for whom every acquaintance had both a warm affection and the highest esteem.  While thoroughly natural and unostentatious, he always saw the silver lining in the cloud, He was brave and conscientious, always just the kind of men that are needed.  That he should be called shows the inscrutable ways of the Omnipotent, and we must not question.  We never heard him utter a complaint of any kind.  Can we be a brave as he? He has made the supreme sacrifice for his country.

Friendsville – John Condon said the skating was fine on Carmalt’s pond, Sunday last.

South Auburn – People depending on water, taken through pipes, are having great trouble; many having to carry water to their stock. On account of the severe weather there is not much doing.  About all one can accomplish is to do chores and keep the fires going.

Parkvale, Dimock Twp. – W. W. Kinner and son, Oscar, visited at Charley Deer’s, in Lathrop, Sunday.  They found the roads filled with snow in places, so they left their horse there and went on foot through the drifts.

Heart Lake –There will be a smile social at the parsonage, Feb. 22.  Smile motto: - “Smile a smile, while you smile another smile, and soon there’s smiles and smiles of smiles, and life’s worthwhile, if you but smile.” [Did the song come before or after smile socials?]

Brooklyn – The old soldiers were guests of the High School, Tuesday afternoon, and exercises appropriate to Lincoln’s birthday were held.

Carbondale – “Rockie” Rothapiel, moving picture magnate, formerly of Forest City, will be bringing an aggregation of movie stars on February 20 for a Red Cross ball.  Coming are Mary Pickford, Clara Kimball Young, Marguerite Clark, and a big array of others, including Mugsie McGraw, of the New York Giants and Hughey Jennings of the Detroit Tigers.

Forest City – According to the “Fifty Odd Years Ago” column in the Forest City News, the first child born at Forest Mills was Edward A. Pentecost. Miss Lottie Thayer, now of Petersburg, VA., was the first girl baby born in the Mills. The first wedding was in the summer of 1880, when William Edwards, a teamster, married Mary Crandall, of Uniondale

Uniondale – “Old Glory” was suspended at half- mast Tuesday in honor of Lincoln’s birthday.

ALSO The Erie Railroad has a force of men engaged in filling the company’s ice house at this point.  A large amount is required to meet the wants of the milk shippers along the branch.  This is the starting point for the line and in addition to the ice required by our local milk shipper, the shippers along the route are cared for.  The ice is brought here in cars from Hathaway’s pond, near Ararat.

News Briefs: The Lincoln highway, beginning at New York and ending at San Francisco, is about 1/3 finished, though it is already available for travel for a greater distance.  This will be open to travel throughout the year. ALSO Message from President Hoover-“Go back to simple life, be contented with simple food, simple pleasures, simple clothes. Work hard, pray hard, play hard.  Work, eat, recreate and sleep.  Do it all courageously.  ALSO The average temperature for the month of January was 5 degrees above zero, so the weather man said. The January thaw arrived, like the trains, the mails and everything else, mighty late this year. ALSO a Nicholson boy began an essay as follows: “The cow has four legs—one on each corner, and a fly swatter in the rear. ALSO Autoists will find that a hot water bag laid over the manifold ten minutes before it is wished to start will help get a cold motor in operation.  Try it. ALSO At a dressmakers' convention held in the West recently, one of the delegates expressed the opinion that dresses would get shorter each year until 1922.  This looks like propaganda work.  The occulists will resort to anything to boom their business.

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, February 14, 1818.

*MARRIED – In Middletown on the 20th of January last, by Seth Taylor, Esq., Mr. John Bump to Mrs. Nancy Foster, all of that township.

*PAINT STORE. The subscriber wishes to inform his friends and the public that he has just received a general assortment of paints which he will constantly keep on hand for sale, among which are the following, viz.: White Lead, Red Lead, Spanish Brown, Spruce Yellow, Patent Yellow, Chrome Yellow, Purple Brown, Rose Pink, Virdegris, Rotten Stone, Copal Gum, Af., Copal Gum, Ch., Spr. Turpentine, Linseed Oil, Hair Pencils, Silver Leaf, Blue Smalt, Spanish
White, Yellow Ocher, Stone Yellow, Kings Yellow, Prus. Blue, Tere D. Sceanna [Sienna],
Turkey Umber, Vermillion, Pumice Stone, Shelack Gum, Sweet Oil, Olive Oil, Paint Brushes, Gold Leaf, Glaziers Diamonds. N. B. He will shortly have on hand all kinds of Varnishes which he can furnish Cabinet Makers or others with any quantity at the sign of the Gilt Coach. ANSON DART.  Montrose, Feb. 6th, 1818.

*Among the indictments found last week by the grand jury, (says the Albany Argus) was one against a woman as a Common Scold!—She was bound over to the next term to take her trail.  The punishment for this offence, under the common law, we understand, is THREE DUCKINGS, by the hands of the Sheriff.  An eminent counsellor, however, has offered to clear the prisoner by satisfying the jury that she is not a common but an un-common scold.

In July 2015, Timothy Horn was arrested for a DUI offense.  Horn filed an application to be admitted into the Bedford County Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.  The ARD program is a diversion program for first-time offenders facing relatively minor criminal charges.  If an offender successfully completes the ARD program, the underlying criminal charges are dismissed and the offender has the ability to have those offenses expunged from his criminal record.  Because there is no conviction, the offender must voluntarily submit to the supervision of the court, i.e., the offender is placed on probation and agrees to comply with the terms and conditions of the ARD program.

Horn’s application for admission into the ARD program was considered by the District Attorney’s Office and approved.  Thereafter, an ARD hearing was conducted where the Commonwealth explained to the court why the Commonwealth believed that Horn was a good candidate for the ARD program.  The court then notified Horn of the requirements of the program to assure that Horn understood what would be required from him.  After Horn indicated that he understood and agreed to abide by the terms and conditions of the ARD program, the court admitted him into the ARD program.

Horn then changed his mind and filed a petition to be voluntarily removed from the ARD program.  In his petition, Horn indicated that he now wanted to contest the DUI charges.  At the same time, Horn also filed a suppression motion contending that his blood alcohol content level was obtained unlawfully.  The trial court denied Horn’s application for voluntary removal from the ARD program and told him that he had to stay in it.  Because Horn was still participating in the ARD program, the trial court dismissed his suppression motion as moot.  Horn then filed an appeal.

The Superior Court likewise denied Horn’s appeal on procedural grounds.  Generally speaking, a litigant may only appeal a “final order” to the Superior Court.  A final order is an order that disposes of the case, i.e., there is nothing further to be done and the case is concluded.  An ARD order is not a final order because the criminal prosecution itself is only held in abeyance while the offender attempts to successfully complete the ARD program.  Because the case continues until the successful completion of the ARD program, the ARD order is not a final order that can be appealed to the Superior Court.

The Superior Court noted that there was another alternative for Horn to get what he wanted and it was much easier and simpler than the litigation that Horn undertook to get out of the ARD program.  In this regard, the Superior Court provided Horn with the following guidance: “If [Horn] wishes to be removed from the ARD program, [Horn] may always refuse to comply with the conditions of the program.”  If Horn refuses to comply with the court-mandated terms of supervision, the ARD statute requires the court to direct the Commonwealth to proceed with the prosecution of the case.

Even though the court refused to allow him to voluntarily withdraw from the ARD program, Horn can accomplish the same thing by simply ignoring the requirements of the ARD program and thereafter leaving the court with no alternative but to remove him from the program for noncompliance.  From a pragmatic perspective, Horn would have been better served devoting the financial resources used in pursuing his appeal to the Superior Court to pay off his fines and costs associated with the ARD program. 

As it stands, Horn paid for an attorney to prepare a petition to remove Horn from the ARD program, a suppression motion, and an appeal – but he remains in the same position that he would have been if he had done none of those things except that his wallet is a lot lighter.  Horn could follow the Superior Court’s advice and get himself kicked out the program – and then spend additional monies on legal fees to fight the underlying criminal charge.  This particular strategy is a risky one because if he fails he could face incarceration, a longer license suspension, a bigger fine, and a permanent criminal record that cannot be expunged.

The vaporous virtues of Vicks VapoRub

The pharmacist was setting up a new display of cold and cough products since many of his patients were sniffling and sneezing. There was a wide variety from which to buy. Some worked while others, in the pharmacist’s opinion, did little or nothing to relieve the symptoms of a cold. One item he did count on to ameliorate cold symptoms was Vicks VapoRub. First formulated in 1894 by pharmacist Lunsford Richardson, Vicks is a mixture of menthol, camphor, and petroleum jelly, as well as the oils of eucalyptus, cedar leaf, nutmeg, thyme, and turpentine.

Over the years, the pharmacist’s patients told him about the many other uses for Vicks. For instance, Mrs. Hicks said that she swears by Vicks to relieve her migraine headaches. She simply rubs some of the ointment into her temples and she can feel the pressure in her head lifting. Julie, a self-conscious teen, says she uses Vicks as an emergency zit remover. She applies it to a newly emerging pimple and after a few hours, the pimple is gone. The pharmacist explained to Julie that the ability of Vicks VapoRub to clear acne is due to the anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties of the camphor ingredient. Mr. Jones says that Vicks repels mosquitoes. Its ability to shoo away biting insects is because it contains cedar leaf oil, a natural insect repellent. Mr. Jones dabs some on the ankles, inner elbows, inner wrists, and neck to keep bugs from chomping. And if he does get bitten, he rubs Vicks over the bite and covers it with a bandage.

While toenail fungus can be treated with oral – and often expensive – medication, regular application of Vicks to the nails can help. The affected nails will turn dark as the ointment does its job, and eventually, a healthy nail will grow out. And while your socks are off, Vicks will smooth those cracked heels. Did you bash your shin on the coffee table? Spread a thin layer of Vicks VapoRub and salt over a fresh bruise. The ingredients work to quickly dissolve the blue and black coloring by encouraging a faster breakdown of the blood in the bruise. Pets do not like the smell of Vicks. So, place an opened jar of Vicks VapoRub anywhere you want your cat or dog to stay away from. Vets often recommend this to train indoor pets from eliminating in undesired locations. For example, if your pet has a habit of going in your closet, place an open jar at the entrance.

Ironically, the one thing that Vicks VapoRub does not do is relieve nasal congestion. According to a Mayo Clinic report, the strong menthol odor of VapoRub tricks your brain, so you feel like you are breathing through an unclogged nose. By contrast, decongestant tablets and nasal sprays may narrow blood vessels in the lining of your nose, leading to reduced swelling in your nasal passages.

VapoRub has drawbacks other than its ineffectiveness as a nasal decongestant. It is unsafe for any use in children less than 2 years of age. In adults and older children, apply it only on the neck and chest. Swallowing a few teaspoons of camphor — one of the main ingredients in VapoRub and other topical medications, such as Campho-Phenique and Bengay — can cause fatal poisoning in toddlers. Keep it locked away from young kids. Finally, if VapoRub gets in the eye, the cornea can be injured.

The pharmacist chuckled when Ms. Kane rushed up to him and said, “What’s the biggest jar of Vicks do you have? I need it for a few things around the house.”

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