During 2017, Peoples Security Bank & Trust donated over one million dollars as part of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program.  The donations are administered through the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains and are primarily used to award scholarships and grants to numerous schools, colleges and organizations within the bank’s primary market area.

Pictured (l-r) are: Tim Ronchi, Guidance Counselor, Lackawanna Trail School District; Heather McPherson, Superintendent, Tunkhannock Area School District; Bronson Stone, Superintendent, Susquehanna Community School District; Karen Voigt, Superintendent, Mountain View School District; Joseph Ferretti, Executive Vice President, Peoples Security Bank; Thomas Tulaney, Senior Executive Vice President, Peoples Security Bank; Jessica Aquilina, Superintendent, Forest City Regional School District; Matthew Button, Superintendent, Blue Ridge School District; Ken Cuomo, Superintendent, Elk Lake School District

During 2017, nearly 750 scholarships were issued to forty-four (44) Pre-K and K-12 schools, colleges and career technology schools.  Grants were also awarded to ten organizations in order to support Educational Improvement Projects.  Additionally, Peoples Security Bank funds the program costs of the EverFi Financial Literacy Program that is currently offered to ten (10) local high schools.

Frost seeding can be a great technique to get an early start on the spring growing season. In northeastern, northcentral Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York late March and early April are the best times to try to frost seed. Frost seeding involves spreading seed on frozen ground and allowing the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle that occurs as spring approaches to provide good seed-to-soil contact. When moisture in the top layer of soil freezes, ice expands upward, carrying soil with it. This process, called “heaving,” helps work small seeds like clover and alfalfa into the soil, the same way light disking or cultipacking creates good seed-to-soil contact. When early spring temperatures are optimal, the seeds will germinate. The freezing and thawing cycle allows the seed to get into contact with the soil to a depth where it will germinate safely.

Do NOT try and frost seed any of your fields or food plots if there is an existing stand of heavy grass and/or weed growth. The grasses or weeds will prevent the seed from getting into contact with the soil and there will not be any seed germination.

You can frost-seed cool-season perennials such as alfalfa, red and white clover, birdsfoot trefoil, chicory, and cool-season annuals like oats. When frost-seeding, use the recommended broadcast seeding rate for the crop you are planting. For example: 8 lbs./acre for white clover, 15 lbs./acre for red clover, birdsfoot trefoil 10 lbs./acre and 20 to 25 lbs./acre for alfalfa. Cut these rates in half if you are overseeding a thinning field or bare patches in the field or food plot. Do not frost seed warm-season annuals such as corn, sorghum or soybeans.

You won’t get as high of a germination rate with frost-seeding as you do with more intensive planting techniques, but it’s one way to save some money, and I’ve had great results from frost seeding during the past several years.

It is always best to get a soil test collected and sent off to the laboratories for the analysis of what your new seeding, including frost seeding ones, will need for fertilizer and lime. The investment ($11 to $50) in a soil test, getting the results and following the recommendations is well worth the money. Getting your new seeding off to a good start will pay you back for years to come. Remember that legume seeds like clover, birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa must be inoculated (powdered bacteria inoculant) with the appropriate bacteria before planting.

Where I live in northern Pennsylvania (Susquehanna County), green-up occurs in mid-April so the best time for frost seeding is NOW. I have successfully frost seeded in the past and would suggest that if you have the time now, consider using this method to get a jump start on your 2018 plantings. This year I have a ½ acre field strip that needs to be reseeded. I have decent weed control on the field (good amount of bare ground) and am planning on frost seeding red clover, wild flowers and forbs into the strip. (Thanks to my brother-in-law, Tom for finding that he had an excess of the wild flower seed.)

Note: Mr. Wagner has worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for 35+ years in northern Pennsylvania. He operates a small, pumpkin growing and Christmas tree farm in Susquehanna County.

Simon & Garfunkel

Introducing Simon & Garfunkel who make sweet harmony together! This pair of Jack Russell mixes, like there namesake, are adorable and very bonded. Both are 5 year old males, neutered, and housebroken. 
Simon and Garfunkel are wishing they'll be out of the shelter and homeward bound soon!  If you are looking for twice the love, Simon & Garfunkel will be waiting at the shelter to meet you.  Don’t forget, we do offer a “Adopt One, Get One” promotion for our bonded pairs.

All of us at True Friends would like to thank everyone who made our “Irish Ales, Happy Tails” event such a huge success!  Together we raised over $2,000.00 for our badly needed new kennels.  We are now getting so close to FINALLY making this dream a reality. If you haven't yet donated to our New Kennel Fund, your contribution, no matter what amount, is crucial in helping us reach the finish line.  You will not only be playing a part in helping us keep our dogs safer and more comfortable, but you will be helping us literally save desperate lives. Donations can event be made easily on our site, truefriendsawc.com.  We are grateful for every dollar which gets us closer to our goal.

Susquehanna County Farm Bureau is sponsoring a "Think Safe - Be Safe" contest for all county students. This contest will support our commitment to safety. For more details, please see the contest flyer at www.pfb.com/Safetycontests.

The contest guidelines are for: Coloring Page (Ages 4-6); Poster Drawing (Ages 7-12); Photos (Ages 13-18).

Please submit entries to Emma Hinkley, 13140 Dimock to Nicholson Rd., Hop Bottom, Pa. 18824 by May 1, 2018.

Winners will be selected by Susquehanna County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee.  There will be monetary rewards. County winners will be forwarded to Pa. Farm Bureau for consideration as a state winning entry.

Though spring has officially arrived, the American Red Cross blood supply is still recovering from severe winter storms in March. Donors of all blood types are urged to roll up a sleeve and help save lives.

Winter weather in parts of the country forced more than 270 blood drives to cancel, resulting in over 9,500 uncollected blood and platelet donations in the first two weeks of March. In the New York-Penn Region which includes New York and 10 counties in Pennsylvania, 41 blood drives were canceled due to winter weather in March, causing 1222 donations to go uncollected. No matter the weather, the need for blood to help cancer patients, those undergoing surgeries, trauma patients and others remains.

Volunteer blood donors from across the country are needed to help ensure lifesaving blood products are available for patients this spring. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming local blood donation opportunities include:

Hallstead on April 2: 2pm - 6pm at the Hallstead Great Bend Community Center, 722 New York Avenue.

Montrose on April 10: 11:30am - 6:30pm at the Montrose United Methodist Church, 90 Church Street.

Montrose on April 12: 1:30pm - 6:30pm at St Paul's Church, 276 Church Street.

New Milford on April 22: 1:30pm - 6:30pm at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1148 Main Street.

Senator Lisa Baker, R-20th, announced that Field Representative Tom Yoniski will be available for consultation from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3 at the Susquehanna Depot Borough Building, 83 Erie Boulevard, Suite A, Susquehanna Depot.

He will also be available from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17 at the Forest City Borough Building, 535 Main St., Forest City and from 1-3 that same day at the Lenox Township Municipal Building, 2811 State Route 92, Kingsley.

While appointments are recommended, walk-ins are welcome.

Constituents are encouraged to visit with any questions or problems relating to state matters and no appointment is necessary though they can be scheduled. Concerns may also be addressed by visiting Senator Baker’s district office at 22 Dallas Shopping Center, Dallas, by visiting her website at www.senatorbaker.com or by calling (570) 675-3931.

Enclosed please find the list of names drawn to serve as Petit and Traverse jurors for April to appear in the Court of Common Pleas, Susquehanna County Courthouse (large Courtroom), Montrose, PA, on the9th day of April, 2018,at nine o’clock a.m. (9:00 a.m.)

APRIL JURY SELECTION LIST           DISTRICT

72 ALLEN, LISA ANN                  LENOX TWP

4 ALTHOUSE, ANIKA ANNE.       BROOKLYN TWP

61 AYERS, BETTY JOAN                HARFORD TWP

60 BARNUM, SHANNON MARIE            FRIENDSVILLE BORO

5 BENNETT, BROOKE ANN.        JESSUP TWP

103 BEROL, LINDA E.                 HARFORD TWP

6 BIRTCH, PATRICIA A.               NEW MILFORD TWP

7 BLOXHAM, RICHARD R.         CLIFFORD TWP

53 BRUSH, ERIC PAUL                 OAKLAND BORO

8 CAIN, JESSIE E.             MONTROSE BORO

9 CHAMBERLAIN, MATTHEW J.           JACKSON TWP

10 CLAYTON, CRISTINE M.       FRANKLIN TWP

11 CLIFF, JOSHUA M                  OAKLAND BORO

13 CORLEW, JJ HEATHER         ARARAT TWP

14 COY, RICHARD E.                  BRIDGEWATER TWP

62 DECKER, WILLIAM                  NEW MILFORD BORO

101 ECCLES, MICHELLE LIN            HERRICK TWP

102 FERRARO, PAUL A.                CLIFFORD TWP

16 FORTUNER IV, MICHAEL THOMA UNION DALE BORO

17 FRENCH, JOAN E             OAKLAND BORO

88 GAGE, OLIVER J                   RUSH TWP

18 GAGNON, VICTOR LUC         JACKSON TWP

19 GINGERELLA, MARK                 LANESBORO BORO

20 GRAZIANO, WILLIAM J.       HARFORD TWP

54 HANSEN, RACHEAL MARIE            FOREST CITY BORO

21 JENKINS, TAMMY SUE         BRIDGEWATER TWP

22 JOHNSON, JACOB L                 LENOX TWP

23 KELLY, BRIAN JAMES               RUSH TWP

24 KELLY, MARY J.             BRIDGEWATER TWP

93 KEMMERER, MARY HELEN       JACKSON TWP

25 KLACH, ROBERT HENRY        SPRINGVILLE TWP

26 KOTOWSKI, CAROL J.               CLIFFORD TWP

27 LATHROP, DAVID ALAN        DIMOCK TWP

28 LEAMON, TODD M                   BRIDGEWATER TWP

29 MARSHALL, SANDRA K         MONTROSE BORO

30 MAZIKEWICH, MARY T.        SUSQUEHANNA BORO

32 MILLARD, JASON S.                SUSQUEHANNA BORO

34 MULLIGAN, CHARLES FRANCIS.       BRIDGEWATER TWP

58 MYERS, LINDA S             SPRINGVILLE TWP

35OLENIACZ, CYNTHIA IRENE           LIBERTY TWP

36 OLSON, LEONARD K                 GREAT BEND BORO

37 PALMER, DAVID J.                 LATHROP TWP

96 PALMER, KAITLYN MARIE            UNION DALE BORO

38 PEAKE, ASHLEY L                  JACKSON TWP

55 PEARSON, JENNIFER M        CLIFFORD TWP

74 PRUITT, DYLAN WILLIAM            NEW MILFORD BORO

76 REPOSA, KATHRYN J.               SPRINGVILLE TWP

39 ROSENTHAL, MARGARET E.           SUSQUEHANNA BORO

90 RUDOCK, PAULINE                  NEW MILFORD BORO

94 RUDOLPH JR., RAYMOND LEE         BRIDGEWATER TWP

71 SCROGGINS, VERA                  SILVER LAKE TWP

40 SEAMANS, DANIEL H                JACKSON TWP

73 SHAFFER, JOHN JOSEPH       JESSUP TWP

41 SHAULIS JR., ALBERT C            MIDDLETOWN TWP

85 SHAVE, REED JOHN                 RUSH TWP

42 SHERIDAN, CARL J.                RUSHTWP

43 SHERMAN, DEBORAH A.        HERRICK TWP

1 SMITH, STEVEN C.                  AUBURN TWP

45 SMITH, WELDON A.                 NEW MILFORD TWP

59 SNEDAKER, KATHLEEN RENE          MIDDLETOWN TWP

2 STARK, ANTHONY SCOTT        SUSQUEHANNA BORO

46 STATKUN, SUSAN             CLIFFORD TWP

47 SUSSMAN, MELODY LEE        SPRINGVILLE TWP

91 SWANK, PATTY ANN                 SUSQUEHANNA BORO

48 TAYLOR, ROBERT GEORGE            UNION DALE BORO

49 TEETER, ANNA M.                  RUSH TWP

3 TULLAR, DARRELL ROY               SILVER LAKE TWP

66 WALSH, ALICE B             MONTROSE BORO

50 WEIDA, JUDSON W.                 LENOX TWP

51 WEIDA, KYMBERLY ANNE       HOP BOTTOM BORO

84 WELLS, JUSTIN              AUBURN TWP

52 WISEMAN, CHARLES E.        GREAT BEND BORO

Bench Warrants

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 10:15 AM on March 23, 2018: Antonio L. Alcantara, Brian M. Anderson, Edward R. Ashman, Ryan A. Aukema, Amanda C. Bedell, Allen S. Bowman, James L. Bradley, David Branning, Ryan T. Brooks, Jason J. Carroll, Jeremy T. DeGraw, Tina Dolan, Nathasha Everett, Morgan A. Garcia, Jeremy W. Hall, Timothy M. Holmes, Bryan Homsher, Lyle J. Hugaboom, Tara M. Humphry, Jean M. Larson, Todd J. Layton, Bradley W. Megivern, Matthew S. Miller, Peggy J. Mills, Richard A. Murphy, III, Zachary A. Nybeck, Vincent J. Petriello, Chad Schurr, Matthew J. Setzer, Richard D. Shoemaker, Jerome W. Slick, Marcus E. Spickerman, Robert Staff, Tyrone M. Taylor, Randy R. Teel, Edward Teshara, Samantha Ulrich, Renee A. Valentine, Jeffrey Warner, Thomas A. Whipple, Jr., Kyle D. Wilbur, Roderic R. Williams, Louis Yachymiak. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 4050 with any information on the location of these individuals.

Deeds

McNamara, Phyllis to McNamara, Charles R and McNamara, Barbara B for $1.00 in Silver Lake Township.

Mineral Coal and Oil and Gas: Ruiz, Mary Louise and Ruiz, Charlie G to Ruiz, Mary Louise and Ruiz, Charlie G for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Cronk, David L and Cronk, Joanne M for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Zick, Randy for $1.00 in Brooklyn Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Magnotti, Mark S for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Pascoe, Thomas A and Pascoe, Kathleen P for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Escandel, Thomas R and Escandel, Roseann for $1.00 in Brooklyn Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Magnotti, Samuel J and Magnotti, Sue P for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Stankiewicz, Robert A and Stankiewicz, Beverly D for $1.00 in Brooklyn Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Stankiewicz, Robert A and Stankiewicz, Beverly D for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Stankiewicz, Robert A and Stankiewicz, Beverly D for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Corbin, John F Jr and Corbin, Ann S for $1.00 in Brooklyn Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Kurosky, Thomas P and Kurosky, Kathleen and Kurosky, David and Kurosky, Evelyn and Walsh, Helen and Walsh, John R for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Kielceski, Joseph T and Kielceski, Constantina for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation to Kielceski, Joseph T and Kielceski, Constantina and Reed, Anne M and Kubly, Kathleen and Kubly, David and Kielceski, Stephen W and Kielceski, Loraine for $1.00 in Bridgewater Township.

Salvanto, Steven M and Restaino, Elizabeth Ann to Salvanto, John Jr for $200,000.00 in Apolacon Township.

Adams, Michael to Chernoff, Ethan for $15,000.00 in Franklin Township.

Fad diets gain popularity because they let you shed pounds quickly, but health professionals warn they often come with side effects, such as fatigue, nausea, headaches, constipation and dehydration.

One additional side effect that doesn’t get as much attention, though, is: they can cause bad breath.

“Dehydration is the key symptom related to fad diets that can result in halitosis,” says Dr. Harold Katz, a dentist, bacteriologist and developer of TheraBreath Dry Mouth Oral Rinse and Lozenges (www.therabreath.com).

“When you’re dehydrated, your body doesn’t produce as much saliva. When you have less saliva, bacteria growth increases and causes bad breath.”

Katz suggests a few things worth knowing about fad diets and their effect on your breath:

•    Fasting. When you fast – or follow a similar fad diet that focuses on consuming a single food or beverage – you’re more likely to become dehydrated, Katz says. “If you’re determined to continue fasting, just make sure you’re still drinking enough water to stay hydrated every day,” he says. “This will not only contribute to fresh breath, but will also contribute to your overall wellness.”

•    Ketosis. Ketosis is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet that promises quick weight loss if you eat less than 20 grams of carbs in a single day, according to Environmental Nutrition. “It’s true that you can lose weight quickly through ketosis – which is the state your body is going into when it doesn’t have enough carbs to feed off of – but you’re not improving your health,” Katz says. “Plus, halitosis can occur as a result of the chemicals released in the body to burn fat.”

•    Protein shakes. Some people attempt to lose weight by replacing meals with protein shakes. The Mayo Clinic reports that indeed can help reduce calories, which can lead to weight loss. But if you replace too many regular meals with the shake, you end up missing on the nutritional benefits of whole foods. “That’s not all,” Katz says. “Protein and dairy can cause your breath to smell. You should brush your teeth and use an oral rinse right after you drink a protein shake, or at the very least drink some water afterward to rinse out your mouth.”

Instead of relying on a fad diet to lose excess pounds, Katz says, focus on changing your lifestyle habits as a whole.

“If you exercise regularly and follow a well-balanced diet that’s loaded with nutrients from fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains, you can give your body the fuel it needs to thrive and maintain a healthy weight,” he says. “And your breath won’t be as likely to go rancid.”