Columnists

Kingsley – A Lackawanna freight train, passing over the Kingsley viaduct, tore loose a guard rail and carried it along on a brake beam past the Kingsley station. There it fell from the train and lodged in the frog of a switch, the force wedging it in securely. Anthony Engates, Leo McCarthy and Lawrence Goss were standing on the station platform and noticed the rail when it dropped. Employees of the railroad were notified and after some difficulty the rail was removed. At no time, however, were any passengers on the oncoming No. 5 passenger train in danger. Train conductors and engineers were on the lookout, when notified of the incident.

Montrose – A well attended meeting of the United Fire Co. was held in the department building, the purpose of the meeting being to hurry up the purchase of a motor driven fire engine, funds for which have been raised by local organizations and subscription. A committee of five plan to meet with the Montrose Borough Council and ask that body to take prompt steps towards the purchase of a modern fire apparatus for the borough. Later the committee met with the council and the council approved the action taken and will advertise for bids for the engine.

Forest City – Richard Wagner, of this place, who was acquitted in the county courts of complicity in the murder of Burns Lyons, was arrested in Simpson, Lackawanna County, eight days following his acquittal. He is alleged to have beaten a young man, named George Batoskus, and was released on bail pending trial in the Lackawanna county courts for assault. He and a companion are also charged with robbing the victim. It is reported that had Wagner been permitted to go on the stand in the murder trial, the commonwealth would have shown he had been in jail at least six times previous.

Hop Bottom – The Community Orchestra, of Hop Bottom, will give a concert on Dec. 16th in the Methodist church. An interesting program of ensemble and solo numbers will be given.

West Lenox – Our stage driver, Robert Gardner, has been enjoying a hunting trip the past week. His father, Harry Gardner has been filling his place during his absence.

New Milford – William R. Gere, of Grand Bay, AL, who had been visiting his former home in Brooklyn the past two years, passed away at the age 80 on Dec. 6th, at the home of his brother, Frank J. Gere, in this place. He is survived by his widow and four sons, Berwyn, of Laceyville, a farmer and manager of Farmer's Mills, A. Raymond, at Albuquerque, NM, with the US Dept. of Justice, Clarence L., of Seattle, an attorney, and Harold, of Grand Bay, engaged in orange cultivation. Funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, and burial in the Brooklyn Cemetery.

Hallstead – The work on the Hallstead bridge is being rushed as fast as weather conditions permit and night shifts are being worked. Several employees have met with accidents while working on the abutment.

Dimock – The road from Springville, to the concrete at the Ballantine farm, is getting in horrible condition. If it gets any worse it will be impossible to haul milk from Springville to Dimock. ALSO Ishmael Button, while skunk hunting on a moonlight night recently, saw a large bear down on the Wheeler Smith farm. Ishmael's dog retreated when he saw the bear; the latter swung around, sniffed at the dog and went on over the hill. A bear was seen on the W. P. Williams farm recently, in the day time. Report has just reached here that Foster Sherwood, formerly of this place, killed a bear at Tunkhannock last week. A Dimock resident was in a meat market at Tunkhannock, Monday, and saw two dressed bears.

Springville – D. D. Layton and Fred Bagley went to Binghamton on Saturday, last, returning with windows and other equipment for the new Baptist church.

Starrucca – William Kawaeko, twelve years, of Starrucca, while hunting on Monday, accidentally shot himself. He fell, the charge of shot from a gun striking him in the side and head. His wrist was also badly torn and it is feared he may lose the sight of one eye. After the accident the boy boarded a train and rode to Scranton and walked from the station to the hospital, the journey taking about 8 hours. Surgeons were surprised at the remarkable physical stamina the boy showed. He will recover.

Clifford – On Nov. 25, at 4:00pm, occurred the marriage of Clifford Reynolds, of Uniondale, and Miss Josephine Gardner, of Greenfield Twp. They were married at the M. E. parsonage by Rev. Ammerman and were unattended. After an extended wedding trip they will commence housekeeping in a newly built bungalow, at Welsh Hill.

Uniondale – The Misses Catherine Gelatt and Adaline Crandall, were operated on for the removal of tonsils and adenoids at Emergency hospital. The operations were a complete success.

Thompson – The union Christmas services will be held in the Baptist church, and all who sing are requested to come out and rehearse, at the M. E. church, Saturday night, at 8 o'clock.

Herrick Center – Plans are being made for a Community Christmas Program and Tree to be held at the school house.

Fairdale – The Camptown-Fairdale road, just completed by the Schoentag Construction Company, was officially accepted by the Pennsylvania State Highway Department this week.

"Dick is Dead" – If you knew Dick you will hear this announcement with a touch of sorrow. He was always so cheerful and happy, never doing anything unkind, never complaining, but sang the livelong day through. He was 25 years and six months old, and for 25 years had been in the family of former Sheriff Harry E. Taylor. Dick was a canary and for many years had cheered the sheriff's office, in the court house, with his songs. The day he passed out he was singing as cheerfully as ever, but Sunday afternoon he sang his last earthly song. And, if there are birds in heaven – and why should there not be? – we believe Dick will sing in the heavenly chorus.

News Briefs: The part of a motor car that causes more accidents than any other is the nut that holds the steering wheel. ALSO In a recent address President Coolidge said: "Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether his Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat." ALSO From Forbes magazine, "Don't impress upon people how big you are, or they will learn how little you are." ALSO The Scranton Republican says, "Major W. W. Inglis and President John L. Lewis should sit down together and settle the [coal] strike. That's about the size of it."

A reminder that back issues of "100 Years Ago" can be found on the Historical Society's website, www.susqcohistsoc.org.

In York County in June 2023, Victoria Slaughter was criminally charged with terroristic threats, simply assault and criminal mischief in connection with an alleged incident involving Alecia King. In December 2023, at a court hearing, Slaughter notified the court that she wanted to proceed to a jury trial rather than seeking a plea resolution. Slaughter requested to proceed to trial in the next available term, i.e., January 2024. The Commonwealth, however, did not proceed to trial immediately.

In November 2024, Slaughter filed a motion to dismiss contending that the Commonwealth had violated her speedy trial rights. A criminal defendant has a constitutional right to a speedy trial. In Pennsylvania, the Rules of Criminal Procedure require the Commonwealth to bring a case to trial within 365 days from the date the criminal complaint is filed. Any delay caused by a defendant is excluded from that time calculation. If the Commonwealth has failed to bring a case to trial within 365 days, then the Commonwealth must demonstrate that it had exercised due diligence to do so in a timely manner to avoid dismissal of the criminal charges.

In this case, the Commonwealth contended that it was unable to bring the case to trial because the victim, Alecia King, had become unavailable after she enlisted in the military. At a hearing on the motion to dismiss, the Commonwealth presented no witnesses or documentation to verify that King had enlisted in the military. Instead, the Commonwealth presented the testimony of staff who had spoken with King's mother about the whereabouts of King. It was based upon the statements of King's mother that the Commonwealth determined that King was not available due to her military commitment. Slaughter's attorney objected to this testimony being admitted because it was hearsay, i.e., King's mother was not present to testify and explain the situation. Indeed, Slaughter's counsel demanded actual proof that King had enlisted in the military – not just the hearsay statements from King's mother.  The Commonwealth did not have any documented proof of King's enlistment.

After the hearing, the trial court determined that the Commonwealth had failed to exercise due diligence in bringing the Slaughter's case to trial within the 365-day period. Because there was no due diligence, the 365-day period could not be extended, and the charges were dismissed. In particular, the trial court noted that the Commonwealth had made no efforts to speak to Slaughter to verify her availability or unavailability. In short, the Commonwealth could not demonstrate that Slaughter was unavailable for trial when the Commonwealth had not spoken to her – and made no efforts to communicate with her to verify the nature and extent of her military commitment.

The Commonwealth appealed the dismissal of the charges and argued that the trial court's dismissal of the criminal charges had improperly penalized the victim for enlisting in the military. The Superior Court was not impressed with the Commonwealth argument. The Superior Court conceded that even if the trial court accepted the hearsay statements attributed to King's mother that King had enlisted in the military, "the Commonwealth failed to show that [King] was unavailable to appear for trial at any point between February [2024] and the date of the hearing [in December 2024]." Given all the different means of communication in the modern world, the Commonwealth utilized none of those options to speak directly to King to determine her availability for trial; rather, the Commonwealth simply spoke with King's mother while making no effort for months on end to reach out to King. The Superior Court concluded that "enlistment into a branch of our armed forces does not mean that the person has fallen off the face of the earth." The trial court's decision was affirmed – and the criminal charges were dismissed.

It should be stressed that the courts have made clear that the Commonwealth need not demonstrate extraordinary efforts to comply with its due diligence requirement to bring a case to trial in a timely manner; rather, the Commonwealth need only demonstrate reasonable efforts. In this case, if the Commonwealth had simply reached out to King directly and confirmed her unavailability, the criminal charges would not have been dismissed. Given that the Commonwealth did nothing to communicate directly with King, the Superior Court could not find the Commonwealth exercised due diligence in bringing the case to trial, i.e., the Commonwealth had not taken reasonable steps to verify King's availability or unavailability for trial.

Good day dear hearts, I love you. Can you believe we are about two weeks away from Christmas. The Christmas music is playing and the stores are swaying with people filling up their carts. Lots of anticipation for Santa, but what about Jesus? Isn't He the reason for the season? And that's who we are talking about today. Put all the other Christmas stuff on the shelf for ten minutes and focus on the reason for the season.

Last week I explained what Advent was about and that it's not something you will find in the Bible, it's a ritual of waiting and anticipating established by the early church nearly 2,000 years ago. Two Sundays ago, the Advent theme for the first week of Advent was hope. Last Sunday's theme was light. On the advent wreath, the second candle is lit alongside the first. Its glow is modest, yet together they illuminate more of the circle, symbolizing the growing anticipation of Christ's coming. Light in Scripture is a powerful image. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." Isaiah 9:2. John 1:5 declares, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Lighting the candle of light is both a ritual and a testimony. Christ's light is stronger than any shadow.

Light reveals what is hidden. In Advent, it uncovers the truth of our condition and the hope of God's salvation. John the Baptist's call of repentance, often read, is itself a form of light, exposing sin, but also pointing to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Advent light is not harsh or condemning, it is clarifying, guiding us to renewal and reconciliation. Throughout history, light has guided travelers through the night. In the same way, Christ's light guides believers through uncertainty. Psalm 119:105 tells us, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." The second Sunday of Advent reminds us that God's Word and presence illuminate our journey, offering direction when the way forward feels unclear. In times of confusion, the Advent light steadies our steps. Light also brings comfort. A single candle in a dark room changes the atmosphere, offering warmth and reassurance. Advent light speaks to those who grieve, those who feel isolated, and those who struggle with despair. It whispers that God has not abandoned us. In the Christmas story, shepherds keeping watch at night were surprised by the glory of the Lord shining around them. Importantly, Advent light is not meant for us to be kept by ourselves. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14. The second Sunday of Advent challenges us to reflect Christ's light in our communities. That may mean acts of kindness, reconciliation, or advocacy for justice. Just as candles are passed from one to another on Christmas Eve services, so too are we called to share the light we have received.

In our modern world, the theme of light resonates deeply. Headlines often remind us of darkness, violence, division and uncertainty. Isn't that life in America today? In all of social media there is something called the dark web where you can look up all the evil you want. I've never been there. Yet Advent insists that light is stronger. Each candle lit in the sanctuaries and homes is a quiet protest against despair, a declaration that Christ's light still shines. The second Sunday of Advent is not only about receiving but also about becoming light- bearers. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:8, "For once you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord. Live as children of light." Advent invites us to embody this calling; to let our lives reflect Christ's radiance in a world that longs for illumination.

The second Sunday of Advent, with its focus on light, is a reminder that darkness does not have the final word. Each candle lit is a symbol of Christ's victory, a testimony of hope and a call to shine. As communities gather this week, may the light of Christ illuminate our hearts, guide paths and comfort souls. And may we, in turn, carry the light into the world, until the day when the dawn of Christ's return dispels all darkness forever. Join us Sunday at 10:00am for our Advent service. Merry Christmas! God Bless.

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. Join us Saturday, Dec. 20th for a complimentary Christmas dinner consisting of turkey and all the fixings from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Pastor Vince Chiaramonte, 570-853-3988.