Home → Columnists ( October 1, 2025 )
Thompson – One of the two Fokker planes being flown from Curtis Field, Long Island, to Detroit to participate in the Ford Reliability Tour, was forced down by engine trouble at Coxton Lakes near the Wayne County line. One wing and the propeller were damaged, but none of the five passengers were seriously injured. The plane had been in the air only one hour when the trouble was encountered. The pilot said it would require only a day or two to make the necessary repairs. All five occupants of the Fokker were badly shaken up. The plane came down in a rough field on the Thomas Harris farm, about 12 miles from Susquehanna Borough. The machine was loaded on a car two days later and shipped back to the flying field. [Another report said the plane landed, gradually descending for a distance of five miles, at the Charley Corey place, near Lake Coxton. Three of the aeronauts of the wrecked airplane were entertained at "Cousin Mabel's Inn."]
Uniondale – Michael Bosack, one of the men wanted in connection with the murder of Burns Lyon, of this place, in October of 1921, was placed in the county jail. Bosack was arrested in Portsmouth, VA, last week, by Baltimore detectives who learned that he was a member of the crew of lighthouse tender, No. 195. The murder of Lyon was one of the worst ever known in the county. He was attacked in his barn and beaten into unconsciousness, a roll of bills alleged to be in the neighborhood of $2,000 was stolen.
Montrose – The first football game of the season was played at Athletic Park, when the Montrose team met the West Side Bulldogs, of Binghamton. The game resulted in a tie, each eleven scoring six points. Moore of the Bulldogs and Corwin of the home team were the star players. Harry Schlegel coached the local team. The cheer leaders are Doris Palmer, John Armstrong and Edwin Gardner. The upcoming game with the Keystone Reserves is expected to be a snappy one, as the Keystones are a well-trained, speedy organization. ALSO The Scranton, Binghamton & Montrose trolley line has announced reduced fares for round trip tickets between Montrose and Scranton, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Adults are $1.75 and children, 6 to 12 years, $1.00. For a hundred-mile ride this is a most reasonable figure.
Friendsville – Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Byrne, of Port Washington, LI, are visiting at Green Hedge Farm, Friendsville. Mr. Byrne was a former postmaster at this place and has many relatives and friends here.
New Milford – The Family Theatre is showing some of the best pictures obtainable. On Friday and Saturday nights "The Birth of a Nation" will be shown.
Wyalusing – Hotel Middendorf has added a restaurant which is located in what was the old barroom. Electrical appliances are used in the culinary department, and instead of the fumes of stale beer and Green Valley Rye, the aroma of coffee and appetizing food greets the nostrils.
Auburn Center – A large number of friends gathered at the hall to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Chester Evans, who were expected here that night. When they failed to appear, two couples dressed up as brides and grooms and furnished a little fun for the crowd. Ice cream and cake were served at a table very prettily decorated in pink and white crepe paper and flowers. [Newly married Chester Evans and Catherine Manning failed to appear.]
Harford – A fine crushed stone road is being built on Main Street. This will be a great improvement to the town.
Birchardville – While working on the road, Fred Shadduck was hit by a falling tree and severely injured, so it seemed best to take him to the hospital at once.
South Ararat – Several from here attended the KKK meeting which was held on the Manzer flats near South Gibson.
Hop Bottom – A flag pole over 70 ft. high, set in a concrete base, has been erected on the high school grounds. A beautiful new flag floats proudly from this pinnacle.
Forest City – On account of the Holy Name Society parade, in Scranton, the Erie will run a special train, leaving here at 11:30 Sunday. It is expected that about 500 people will go from here.
Dundaff – L. E. Burdick has taken charge of the Dundaff Hotel. He is remodeling the dining room and he will put in a dance hall. It will be the place to get your chicken suppers the coming fall and winter. ALSO Shep Lamoreaux remarked that "we have been in darkness long enough. The old town is going to be lit." The Scranton Electric Light Company has got most all the poles in readiness for the wires.
News Brief: Many communities in this county are neglectful in the matter of posting signs at road intersections. Motor cars bring scores of people from distant places into localities every day, and unless the roads are marked with proper guide posts these people are at a loss to know which road to take. Sign posts will bring more people into your town, and more people mean more business.
MARRIED – On the 21st inst. by James W. Hill, Esq., Mr. Jeremiah W. Corah, of Nicholson Twp., Luzerne Co., to Miss Jemima Roberts, of Bridgewater Twp.
MARRIED – On the 24th inst., by Elder Davis Dimock, Mr. Jasper Stanley to Miss Roceian Shearer, both of Choconut.
Montrose Academy is now bidding fair to become such an institution as will do credit to the place, and make itself known and respectable among other Seminaries of the kind. This Academy has hitherto been peculiarly unfortunate, but we are flattered with its present prospects. Scholars from a distance are encouraged to become students at this institution, from the consideration that a competent teacher is employed, the healthful situation of the town, and the cheapness of board.
Farm To Let. The farm south, and adjoining the farm formerly occupied by Nicholas M'Carty, on the Great Bend turnpike, is offered for leasing, for one, two or three years, containing 200 acres, 80 of which are under improvement. Has on it a large house, a barn and sheds, and in all respects is an advantageous and convenient stand for a tavern. Terms will be made favorable. Apply at the premises. MARY DUNLAP, New Milford, Sept. 10, 1825.
Boot and Shoe Making. The subscriber respectfully informs the public that he will continue to carry on the above business, a few rods east of the Bank, where his old customers may at all times find him ready and willing to accommodate them. Those who pay when the work is finished can have their work done on the following terms. Fine Boots $2.00' Thick do. $1.25; Fine Shoes $0.75; Thick do. $0.50; other work in proportion. All work warranted. STEPHEN HINDS, Montrose, Sept. 29th, 1825.
About six months ago, a county official came up with a plan to conduct an "Amnesty Day" for outstanding bench warrants issued based upon outstanding fines and costs, which eventually became the idea of "Amnesty Week." This proposal was modeled after similar programs that have had substantial success in other jurisdictions. To be successful, the courts needed to participate and be available during the "amnesty" period to provide individuals who were turning themselves in with a hearing to resolve the warrant. I was approached to make certain that the courts would cooperate if the plan was hatched – and, after discussing the matter with the three magisterial district judges – I agreed that the courts would participate and even stay open past business hours on one day of the "Amnesty Week" to assist those people unable to appear during regular business hours.
Through the coordination of numerous county employees from various departments, a list was compiled of outstanding bench warrants and then the list was published in local papers to notify people as to the warrants and provide information concerning the potential to resolve any outstanding warrant during the "Amnesty Week." The publication has created a good deal of interest and questions concerning the nature of failure to pay warrants, i.e., what is a failure to pay warrant, how are they typically resolved, what do the courts look for at a hearing when a defendant is apprehended on such a warrant? Hopefully, I can provide some clarification.
While some criminal defendants have the financial ability to satisfy their fines and costs relatively quickly, there are many defendants who cannot satisfy their fines and costs easily. Those defendants are set up on payment plans that are made an order of court, i.e., the defendant agrees to pay a monthly sum, and stipulates that it be made a court order where the defendant is directed by the court to make a monthly payment until the account is paid in full. When a defendant falls behind on a payment stipulation, i.e., misses payments, the court will issue a bench warrant for noncompliance.
When a defendant is apprehended on a bench warrant based upon a failure to pay, the primary question that the court will ask is what happened with the payment stipulation. Significantly, the law does not allow a court to incarcerate someone for failing to comply with a payment plan unless the defendant's refusal to pay was willful, i.e., the defendant had the ability to pay but refused to do so. Most of the defendants involved in bench warrants based upon a failure to pay are people experiencing substantial financial difficulties, i.e., there are many bills and expenses not being paid, not just court obligations.
As the judge questions a defendant at the warrant hearing, the judge is attempting to determine whether the defendant has the present ability to pay the outstanding monies due – or, if not the whole amount, whether the defendant has the present ability to pay any portion of the amount that is due. During this interaction with the court, the defendant may propose a certain amount of money that he or she can pay (or believes that a relative can pay) to resolve the warrant and secure release – and thereafter continue with the existing payment plan or perhaps a new payment plan.
When a person is incarcerated for failure to pay, it is considered a contempt sentence, i.e., the person willfully disobeyed the payment stipulation order. The judge must provide the defendant with a purge amount, i.e., a means to get out of jail by coming into compliance with the payment order. The purge amount must be based upon the defendant's present ability to pay. For instance, if a defendant discloses that he has $1,000 in a bank account but does not want to use the money, the defendant has the present ability to pay $1,000 and can be ordered to do so or face incarceration unless he pays that amount. If the defendant has no money whatsoever, and no ability to come up with money, then a court is constrained to release the defendant without any payment.
As you might expect, many of the people with failure to pay warrants are not independently wealthy people with lots of spare cash sitting in bank accounts. Thus, most of the bench warrant hearings end with the defendant being ordered to pay some amount toward an outstanding balance and then the defendant gets back on a payment plan for the remainder. Admittedly, it is a frustrating process as there are enforcement costs for every single warrant that is served, i.e., salaries for the law enforcement officers, transportation costs, and potentially incarceration costs if there is a need to incarcerate a defendant because a judge is not immediately available to conduct a hearing. It is likely in most cases that the enforcement costs far exceed any monies that are collected because most of the defendants involved in failure to pay hearings are struggling financially.
The idea of an amnesty program is to get a defendant back into court to resolve the failure to pay warrant and get the defendant back on a payment plan without incurring the enforcement costs that are necessary whenever any warrant is served. The program has already reaped some benefits as there are people finding out that they have these warrants and they have taken steps to immediately resolve them. Whether the "Amnesty Week" will assist in resolving a many outstanding warrants together with the collection of a reasonable amount of outstanding costs and fees remains to be seen. It has worked in other jurisdictions – and, at a minimum, it is worth a try.
Amnesty Week will be from October 20, 2025 through October 24, 2025 with the courts remaining open until 8:00pm on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 for the convenience of those with jobs who are otherwise unavailable during normal business hours.
Good day dear hearts, I love you. I hope last week's article containing the words of our very own Rylinn Groover gave you encouragement and a promise of a new generation. My hope is that our circumstances will change in our nation and we will somehow unify. The violence could accelerate with retaliation. The last time we did this 650,000 American citizens died. It was called the Civil War.
In a world where labels are worn like badges, the title "Christian" is often claimed with pride. It appears on social media biographies, bumper stickers and attending church on some Sundays. But beneath the surface of that title lies a question that every man or woman of faith must wrestle with: Are you a believer or a follower? The distinction is not just semantic. It's Spiritual. It's practical and eternal.
Belief is the beginning, not the destination. Believing in Jesus and accepting Salvation is one thing. Some people say that's all you have to do, and with that type of thinking the person who just made the proclamation of Salvation lacks a full understanding of what they did. The new convert needs to be guided and taught what believing in Jesus is all about. Many people believe in Jesus. They believe He existed, that He was a good teacher, maybe that He died and rose again. But belief alone doesn't transform a life. Listen to what James, the brother of Jesus has to say about this in James 2:19, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder." Belief is foundational, yes, but it's not the finish line. It's the doorway to discipleship. And discipleship, following Jesus, is where transformation begins.
Jesus never said, "Admire me." He said, "Follow me." Jesus lays out His terms in Luke 9:23, "Then He said to them all. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me daily." To take up the cross meant to carry one's own cross and follow the cross to the place of execution. Many Galileans had been killed that way by the Romans and Jesus would face it as well. With this word picture, Christ presented a clear and challenging description of the Christian life. Being His disciple means putting aside selfish desires, shouldering one's cross every day and following Him. This meant literal suffering and death. 11 of the 12 Apostles were persecuted and killed. The only apostle who died of natural causes was John. He was 97 or 98 when he died. For us today, being a disciple means understanding that we belong to God and live to serve His purposes. Consider this: Do you think of your relationship with God primarily in terms of what's in it for you, or in terms of what can you do for Him? This isn't a casual invitation. It's a radical call to surrender. To deny self means letting go of ego, comfort and control. To take up your cross daily means embracing sacrifice, obedience and sometimes suffering. And to follow Him means aligning your steps with His, even when the path is narrow, unpopular, or costly.
Let's be honest. In today's culture, it's easy to be a believer. You can believe in Jesus and still live for yourself. You can believe and still chase status, comfort and convenience. You can believe and never open your Bible, never serve your neighbor, never surrender your will. But you cannot follow and remain unchanged. Following Jesus means your calendar looks different. Your conversations sound different. Your priorities shift. Your relationships deepen. And your decisions reflect a higher allegiance. It's about pursuing God, not just knowing about Him, but walking with Him.
Following Jesus isn't about perfection, it's about direction. It's about daily steps toward Him, even when you stumble. It's about choosing obedience over convenience, truth over popularity and sacrifice over self. Do you believe in Jesus or are you following Him? I encourage each one of you, including myself to reflect on one area of your life where we have been a believer, not a follower and commit to one step of obedience this week. God Bless.
Dear Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness and we thank you for being with us in the circumstances and changes in our lives. While we don't have the control to change, let us surrender to you and let your peace wash over us. Father, we ask your blessing upon our little town. Send your Spirit and touch the broken-hearted, give peace to the sick, bless the poor.
Contact me anytime. Pastor Vince Chiaramonte, 570-853-3988, Susquehanna Christian Community Church, 1361 Main Street, clearmountain2158@gmail.