Columnists

Community Christmas Tree – This has become an established feature in connection with the annual celebration of Christmas in Montrose. On Christmas Day, at 5:50, a large crowd gathered in front of the court house, where the brilliantly lighted tree had been erected and joined in singing the carols or listening to the excellent music of the Community Band. Unable to be present in person, Santa Claus was ably impersonated by the robust district attorney of the county, who delighted the youngsters and those young in heart. Some 300 boxes of candy, presented by Mrs. Chas. L. Huston, were distributed to the children, and upwards of 200 gifts of toys, etc., purchased by the King's Daughters, were given the children. Following the distribution of gifts, members of the Symphony Male Chorus were driven in a motor truck about town, where carols were sung near the homes of "shut-ins."

Forest City – The Community Christmas tree, installed on the lawn of the M. E. church by the Charles and Martin Skubic Post of the American Legion, was a very fine innovation in our community life. The tree was trimmed with varicolored lights and appropriate streamers. On Christmas Eve, exercises were held under the auspices of the Legion. Over 1700 bags of candy were given away to the children. The children's choir, under the direction of Miss Fleming, rendered several selections and the Zvon Singing Society sang several Christmas carols. Each night during the week the tree has been illuminated and has made a very beautiful spectacle.

Thompson – Jerome Kishpaugh, of Herrick Center, died Dec. 29, 1925, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Harry Crosier, at Thompson. He was born in Mehoopany, May 4, 1842, but had lived all his life in Herrick Center and is probably the oldest resident of the lower section of the county. When but a very young boy he enlisted in the Union army and served throughout the Civil War. Besides his widow he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Samuel Clark, of Herrick Center, Mrs. Harry Crosier, of Thompson, and one son, H. A. Kishpaugh, of Carbondale.

Springville – The DeMarco Harp Ensemble Co., will give an entertainment in the Springville Community Building this Thursday evening. The company is made up of three harpists, violinist and cellist, and they also give piano and vocal numbers. It is one of the highest priced and best of the companies under the Coit-Neilson Lyceum Bureau.

New Milford – The white-robed choir of the Baptist church, of Montrose, comprising 30 voices, will sing the Christmas cantata, "The Prince of Peace," in the Baptist church on New Year's night. There will be no admission. A silver offering will be taken, which will be donated to the Red Cross chapter. This is a young choir, most of the sopranos ranging from ten to sixteen years old.

Clifford – The Sunday school entertainment and tree was well attended at the Baptist church. They were all nicely surprised in receiving a fine box of Florida oranges from Leander Lee, who is spending the winter there. ALSO The Christmas tree and entertainment at the M. E. church was greeted with a full house. Santa Claus came down the chimney with a load of presents for the children.

Birchardville – The Sunday school celebrated Christmas by having a tree, to which all the community were invited. The exercises consisted of Christmas songs and recitations, after the rendering of which Santa Claus appeared and gave boxes of candy to all the school and other children who were present. The tree was heavily laden with gifts which were distributed by the boys and girls. All went home feeling that they had had a pleasant time.

Flynn – Mrs. W. J. Conboy and daughter, Catherine, went to New York City, Thursday, to spend Christmas with her daughters, who are trained nurses there.

Lenoxville – The Christmas exercises held at the church were well attended. An excellent program was rendered by members of the Sunday school pupils of the Wilson and Green Grove schools.

Brooklyn – J. J. Austin travelled to Montrose and came up on the trolley line, the car leaving Brooklyn at 8:30 in the morning, but owing to the power failing it did not reach Montrose until about one o'clock. The company has been having difficulty in getting power sufficient to operate their cars on schedule.

Montrose – H. T. Hinds, who is a skilled radio fan, has lately constructed an eight-tube superheterodyne radio set. This is one of the finest and most powerful sets ever, in Montrose, if not the "grandfather of them all." He is getting excellent results from it and ought to be able to hear the bells of London ring in the New Year at midnight. ALSO Wm. H. Woodin, of New York, a former Montrose resident, has been elected president of the American Locomotive Company. He is president of the American Car & Foundry Co., at Berwick, PA, and is a director in many large corporations, including Westinghouse Electric Co., General Motors Corp., and others.

Dimock – A full house was in attendance at the Christmas exercises at the Community church. A surprise to many present, came in the form of delightful music from a pipe organ, which had been given to the church by Mr. and Mrs. F. R. Cope as a Christmas gift. E. D. Roderick was right at home with this fine new instrument.

Jackson – A number of neighbors and friends were entertained at the Central Hotel on Christmas Day.

Middletown – Harry Watson has installed a new radio set. We can now get the returns from the ball games next summer without having to wait for the stage.

Susquehanna – In common with the rest of the country, Susquehanna is feeling the lack of coal. Much wood and soft coal, also semi-anthracite, is being burned.

News Brief: The radio is now recognized as one of the potent influences in strengthening the tie that binds the American people closer to the home. Now there is developing the social lure of home radio parties, presenting opportunities for concerts and dancing in the home on winter nights. In no industry based on a modern invention has there been as great improvement and progress in a similar length of time as in radio. Its record is marvelous. ALSO The anthracite coal strike, which gives promise of being settled, is the third longest in history. During this period of four months' mining inactivity, the miners have lost over one hundred million dollars in wages and many of the more improvident have faced starvation for themselves and their families. The operators have lost the earnings from 25,000,000 tons of coal. It looks now as though the miners will return to work on the old wage scale, pending adjustment of their differences.

Kelvin Bain was charged with sexually abusing his nephew and niece over a period of many years while they were children. As part of the evidence, the Commonwealth obtained a recording made during a family meeting at a relative's home where Bain was confronted by a group of family members when the children first disclosed the sexual abuse. When confronted, Bain apologized to his family members for what he had done to the children. Bain had no knowledge that a family member was secretly recording the meeting.

When Bain learned of his recorded apology/admission, he sought to have it suppressed as he contended that the recording violated the Wiretap Act, which prohibits recording another party without that party's consent and knowledge. The trial court denied the suppression motion. The matter proceeded to trial where Bain was convicted and sentenced to 4 years to 8 years of incarceration in state correctional facility. Bain appealed his conviction.

On appeal, Bain again asserted that his recorded apology/admission should have been excluded for violating the Wiretap Act. The Superior Court explained that the Wiretap Act prohibition only applied in circumstances where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Thus, the question was whether Bain had a reasonable expectation that his statements would not be recorded by his relatives at the family meeting.

The Superior Court noted that Bain attended a family meeting at another relative's home – not his own home. Because Bain was not in his home, the Superior Court concluded that Bain had a diminished expectation of privacy. When a person is merely "a casual visitor who is merely present in another person's home," there can be no legitimate expectation of privacy. Because Bain was a visitor in his relative's home, he had no reasonable expectation of privacy – and there was no protection afforded to him under the Wiretap Act.

Even if Bain had possessed a reasonable expectation of privacy, however, the Superior Court noted that the Wiretap Act contains an exception that permits surreptitious recordings of oral communications if there was a reason to suspect that Bain had committed a crime of violence and that evidence of the crime could be obtained from the surreptitious recording. Thus, the Superior Court concluded: "Bain's family members suspected, from the reports [made by the two children], that Bain had committed the crimes alleged. The apparent purpose of the family gathering was to gather evidence of those crimes. The [Wiretap Act] exception is not limited to crimes that are occurring at the time the interception is made. The statute allowed Bain's relatives to intercept his oral communications if they reasonably suspected that Bain 'is committing, about to commit or has committed a crime of violence,' and they believed they could obtain evidence of that crime by recording him."

The Superior Court rejected Bain's appeal and affirmed Bain's conviction and sentence. The Wiretap Act is almost uniformly misunderstood by members of the public – most people believe it absolutely prohibits a third party from recording you without your consent. For the Wiretap Act to have any applicability, however, the recorded party must demonstrate that he or she had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the location where the recording took place. As this case demonstrates, if there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, then the Wiretap Act does not apply.

Good day Dear Hearts, I love you. There's nothing like a White Christmas and the Lord blessed with one in 2025. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season with some emphasis on the reason for the season. Jesus.

As the final days of the year slip quietly off the calendar, many of us find ourselves pausing, sometimes with a sigh, sometimes with a smile, to look back on the months we've traveled through. The end of the year has a way of gathering our memories into a single bundle: the joys that lifted us, the losses that shaped us, the surprises that caught us off guard, and the ordinary days that filled the spaces in between. For some, this year was a chapter they're eager to close. For others, it was a season of unexpected blessings. For most of us, it was a mixture of both, because life rarely fits neatly into categories. Yet as we stand on the threshold of a new year, we're offered something remarkable; the chance to begin again.

There is something deeply human about longing for renewal. We feel it every time we turn a page, clean out a drawer, or step into a fresh morning. Scripture speaks to this longing with a gentle but powerful reminder: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness," Lamentations 3:22-23. New every morning. Not just once a year, not only when we feel deserving, not only when life is tidy. Every morning. God's mercy arrives like sunrise; quiet, dependable, and full of promise. As we prepare to enter a new year, perhaps the most hopeful thing we can do is to carry that truth with us. Not as a slogan or a resolution, but as a steadying anchor for the soul.

Before we rush into the new year, it's worth taking a moment to look back – not to dwell, but to understand. What did this year teach you? Where did you grow? What did you overcome that you once thought might break you? What blessings did you receive that you didn't expect? Reflection is not about reliving the past; it's about recognizing God's fingerprints on the journey. Even in the difficult chapters, there were moments of grace – small kindnesses, unexpected strength, quiet reassurances, reminders that you were not walking alone. The psalmist captures this beautifully: "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago," Psalm 77:11. Remembering is a spiritual practice. It helps us see that the same God who carried us through this year will carry us into the next.

We look ahead with hope.  Hope is not wishful thinking. It is not optimism dressed up in religious language. Hope, in the biblical sense, is confidence rooted in God's character. It is the assurance that no matter what the year ahead holds, God will meet us there. The apostle Paul writes, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit," Romans 15:13. Overflowing hope that's not a trickle or a polite amount. That's abundance. That's more than enough for you and enough to spill into the lives of others. And maybe that's exactly what our world needs right now; people who carry hope like a lantern, lighting the path for those who feel lost in the dark.

A new year invites us to choose what we bring with us and what we leave behind. We can carry forward gratitude, wisdom, courage and compassion. We can leave behind bitterness, fear and the belief that we are stuck where we are. We don't need to have everything figured out. We don't need to pretend we're stronger than we are. We simply need to take the next faithful step. One of the most freeing promises in Scripture is found in Isaiah 43:19, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" God is not limited by our past. He is not intimidated by our challenges. He is already at work in ways we cannot yet see. As we enter the new year, perhaps we can commit to living with intention rather than perfection. To be present with the people we love. To speak kindness more freely. To forgive more quickly. To notice beauty in ordinary places. To serve without needing applause. To trust God in the small things as much as the big ones. The world may feel uncertain, but God's faithfulness is not. The calendar may change, but His character does not. And that is reason enough to step into the new year with confidence. Happy New Year and God Bless.

Lord, as we stand at the doorway of a new year, we pause to thank You for Your faithfulness through every season behind us. For the lessons learned, the strength gained, the grace received and the hope sustained, we give You praise Father, we ask your blessing on our little town. Send your Spirit and touch the broken-hearted, give peace to the sick, bless the poor. Pastor Vince Chiaramonte, 570-853-3988.