Home → Columnists ( April 15, 2026 )
Montrose – Violinists from all parts of the county are writing I. W. Oakley, telling him that they will take part in the County Violinists Convention, which is to be held here on June 11th. A medal will be given to the champion fiddler. ALSO The county’s only woman attorney, Sue M. Strous, has the distinction of being the only woman sealer of weights and measures in the state.
Hop Bottom – Glen C. Roberts lately established a wholesale confectionery business and Stanley Williams, who represents him as salesman, drove through Montrose with an attractively lettered sales truck.
Middletown Twp. – Jeremiah Lane, aged 85, died at his home, April 18th. He had resided in that township practically his entire life and was well known and respected throughout that section. He is survived by his wife, four sons and one daughter. The funeral will be held in Saint John’s church, at Flynn.
Dimock – The Dimock correspondent has received a letter from John Muzzy, who went to Florida last fall, stating that he was united in marriage (in his own name, John Maryott, instead of his adopted name) to Miss Cora Lee Frances Gardner, of Teraverse, Florida, on April 2nd. ALSO It is almost impossible for cars to get through to the end of the concrete at Louden Hill, as the mud is so deep. It keeps several men and teams busy, hauling out cars. Some are left at Louden Hill, while the owners walk to Dimock. ALSO The weather vane for the Baptist church has arrived.
Pleasant Valley, Auburn Twp. – S. T. Reimel is planning to go into the poultry business, quite extensively. He has erected two more chicken houses and has several hundred chicks.
Bridgewater Twp. – On Lake Montrose ice cutting was being followed on April 1st, which is the latest we recall in this place. The lake is still frozen over.
Oakland Borough – Bids for the high school building were opened but no contract has been awarded. The bond issue was for $33,000 and the bids ranged from $36,000 to $58,000.
Alliance, Nebraska – Horatio M. Wells died at home of his daughter, at this place, on March 16. Mr. Wells was a member of Co. D, 50th PA Volunteers, commanded by Capt. Dimmock, and saw much service in the Civil War. He was a prisoner in Andersonville for some months.
Harford – On April 11th, occurred the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Forsyth, at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Alva Darling, of Binghamton. ALSO Friends of George Gray will be interested to know that he won a $5 gold piece in the Old Timer’s Fiddlers’ Contest, held in Whitesboro.
Clifford – Merrick Miller, age 66, died following a stroke of paralysis. He and his daughter were working on a maple sugar bush when he passed. Mr. Miller had been sexton of the cemetery at Clifford for a number of years and was well known in the community where he resided the greater part of his life. The funeral was held from his house and interment in the family plot in Willow View cemetery.
Rush – The home of H. Yost was consumed by fire, with most of the contents. Much sympathy is felt for them. Mr. Yost was badly burned about the face and hands.
Forest City – At The Irving. The “Purple Prince,” a musical comedy and Shakesperean travesty, with the Famous Dancing Beauties Quartette, is causing quite a great deal of favorable comment. The Gypsy Idyll, presenting “A Night In A Gypsy Camp,” is another act that is pleasing to the Irving patrons.
South Gibson – Mrs. Glenn Marcy has assumed her duties as operator at the NE Telephone exchange.
Uniondale – Emory Washburn, 45, was killed and Merrill Crandall, 21, was injured, when a fast D&H freight train struck their automobile at the crossing. The place where the accident occurred is 600 ft. south of the railroad station. The men, both of whom were employed by the Gibson Coal Company, of Simpson, were returning home from work. The grade crossing is protected by both signs and a warning signal bell and railroad officials are at a loss to account for the automobile being on the tracks, in the path of the oncoming train. Witnesses said the car literally ran into the train. The engineer of the train could not bring it to a stop before it had crashed into the machine and dragged it several hundred feet down the tracks, demolishing it and throwing the occupants clear of the wreckage. Both men were placed aboard the caboose and rushed to Emergency Hospital, Carbondale. However, Washburn died before he was admitted. Crandall is doing well. ALSO Squire Fred Burns, of Clifford, is fire watchman at the tower on the north knob of Elk Mountain. He said that he can see plenty of snow on top of the Catskill mountains.
News Briefs: Blood transfusion has recently been simplified by the use of a tiny electric pump. Extraction and infusion of blood from a well person to a patient is reduced to the single process of pumping blood directly from artery to vein. ALSO An unusual incident, and rather embarrassing for the parties, occurred at the marriage license office at the court house in Wilkes-Barre recently, when a former husband and wife, divorced about six weeks ago, met each other, the former husband with another woman and the former wife with another man, each couple seeking a marriage license.
STRAY SHEEP. Came into the inclosure of the subscriber some time in March last, two Sheep; one a wether, the other a ewe, both ear marked. The owner is desired to prove property, pay charges & take them away. JOHN FANCHER, Bridgewater, April 14, 1826.
GROCERIES. The subscriber will receive, in a few days, a fresh supply of Groceries, which with those on hand will make his assortment very good. Among which may be found: Brandy, Rum, Gin Wines, Cordial, Whiskey by the barrel, Young Hyson, Hyson Skin, Teas, Loaf Sugar, Coffee, Pimento, Chocolate, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmegs, Cloves, Ginger, Starch, Box and Keg Raisins, Shaving, Erasive & Bar Soap, Chewing & Smoking Tobacco, Codfish, Mackerel, Indigo, Arnatto, Allum, Copperns, Powder, Shot, Lead, Pearlash, Scotch & Maccaboy Snuff, Salt Petre, Brimstone Rosin, Dye-woods, Borax, Camphor, Shoe Blacking, Cigars, &c &c. ALSO Flour, Dried Apples, Hams. LIKEWISE 4d, 6d, 8d, 10d, & 12d NAILS. The above will be sold cheap for Cash. J. LYONS, April 15.
NOTICE. The partnership heretofore existing between Keeler & Moody, is this day dissolved by mutual consent. The Tanning, Currying and Shoe-Making business will hereafter be continued under the firm of Catlin & Keeler, who will be grateful for all favors in their line. S. F. KEELER, LEWIS MOODY. Montrose, Dec. 12th, 1825.
On May 20, 2025, Ziani T. Richardson went to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas to watch a criminal jury trial. Pursuant to local rules of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, members of the public attending court proceedings are not permitted to have any cellular phones in the courtroom itself. While sitting in the public gallery during the start part of the trial, Ziani pulled out a cellphone and attempted to take a picture of the defendant. After being stopped by court staff, the judge specifically advised Ziani that she was not permitted to have a cellphone out in the courtroom and that she needed to put her cellphone away.
As the court was breaking for a lunch recess, the judge observed Ziani, while she was still seated in the gallery, pull out her cellphone and engage in text communications. The judge then made another announcement that cellphones were not permitted in the courtroom and that violators would have their phones confiscated. The judge noted that the only exception to this rule applied to members of the bar, i.e., attorneys who have a special role in the legal proceedings as officers of the court.
At the conclusion of the lunch recess, Ziani was again observed with her cellular phone out, she walked to a doorway to one of the conference rooms attached to the courtroom, she opened the door and then stuck her arm in with her cellular phone and moved it around in panning fashion. A court security officer then took her into custody because of her continued disobedience of the court’s order relating to cellphone usage in the courtroom. Pending the contempt hearing, Ziani was sent to the Philadelphia County jail. As she was leaving the courtroom, Ziani could be heard by the judge yelling at the deputy sheriffs and she loudly stated: “I don’t care ... I’m going to beat this ... you don’t have any proof.”
Seven days later, a contempt hearing was conducted – and a week in the Philadelphia jail had changed Ziani’s perspective. She now expressed remorse for her actions and requested that she not be required to serve any more jail time. The Commonwealth, however, noted that she had disobeyed two different orders directing her to put the cellphone away such that a time-served sentence might be too lenient. A contempt finding can result in period of incarceration of up to 6 months. The court, however, sentenced Ziani to a time served sentence, fined her $300 and released her.
Ziani did not accept her punishment quietly – she appealed her contempt finding and her seven-day period of incarceration. The Superior Court noted that a trial judge occupies a unique role as the “exclusive judge of contempts against its process.” A trial judge has the power to incarcerate people for contemptuous behavior such as “the misbehavior of any person in the presence of the court, thereby obstructing the administration of justice.”
An offending party “acts with wrongful intent if she knows or should reasonably be aware that her conduct is wrongful.” In this case, the Superior Court noted that Ziani had been warned that she could not use her cellphone in the courtroom – and the courtroom also had signage outside of it warning that no cellphones were allowed. Ziani was not punished for her first two offenses; rather, it was not until the third offense that the judge took action to address the contemptuous conduct. As to Ziani’s contention that trial had not actually yet recommenced when she engaged in her third misconduct, the Superior Court rejected it: “On the third occasion on which [Ziani] used her cellular phone in the courtroom, she claimed she believed the proceedings had not yet resumed from the lunch recess. However, regardless of [Ziani’s] explanation for defying the trial court’s directive, the prior warnings would have made [Ziani] reasonably aware that her conduct in using her phone in the courtroom was wrongful. Additionally, [Ziani’s] outbursts following her removal from the courtroom, and her remark that she did not ‘care’ about the impact of her conduct, tended to show that [Ziani] had little regard for the trial court’s authority. Thus, there was sufficient evidence of [Ziani’s] intent to disrupt the proceedings, and her conviction for direct criminal contempt must be upheld.”
Good day dear hearts, I love you. As you read, today is the deadline we render to Ceaser what is Ceaser’s. The deadline is to pay our taxes! There is another deadline, one of which can come at any moment. A deadline we all should know about and be ready for, but many are not and that is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. For two thousand years, Christians have lived between two great moments in history: the day Christ rose from the grave and the day He will return in glory. The Resurrection was God’s declaration that sin and death do not have the final word. The Second Coming is the promise that God’s victory will one day be visible, universal and complete. If the Resurrection is the foundation of our hope, the Second Coming is the fulfillment of it. The Second Coming, sometimes called the “Blessed Hope,” is not a symbolic idea or a poetic metaphor. Scripture presents it as a real, future event in which Jesus Christ will personally, visibly and decisively return to the world He redeemed. The angels at the Ascension said it plainly, “This same Jesus who was taken into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven,” Acts: 1:11. That single sentence has carried the Church through persecution, hardship and centuries of waiting. Christ came once in humility; He will come again in glory.
The Second Coming is the moment when Christ returns to set right everything that has gone wrong since Eden. It is the day when justice is no longer delayed, when evil is no longer tolerated and when the reign of God is no longer hidden but fully revealed. The Bible describes it with imagery that is both majestic and sobering: the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel, the heavens opened, and the Son of Man appearing with power and great glory. But beyond the imagery, the meaning is clear. The Second Coming is the return of the King. Jesus comes not as the suffering servant but as the rightful ruler of creation. The resurrection of the dead, those in Christ raised to life, body and soul reunited. The final judgment, God’s perfect justice applied with no corruption, no partiality, no mistakes. The renewal of creation, a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. The gathering of God’s people, every tribe, tongue and nation united under Christ.
For believers, the Second Coming is not meant to stir fear but to anchor hope. It reminds us that history is not drifting. God is not improvising. The world is not spinning out of His control. Every generation has faced wars, disasters, moral decline and uncertainty. Yet the promise of Christ’s return tells us that none of these things have the final say.
The Second Coming shapes how we live in three essential ways. 1. It calls us to readiness. Jesus repeatedly urged His followers to stay awake, stay faithful and stay prepared. Not anxious, not panicked, but alert. The Christian life is not passive waiting, it is active obedience. 2. It calls us to holiness. Knowing that Christ will return motivates us to live lives worthy of the One we follow. The early Church often linked the hope of His return with the call to purity, integrity, and compassion. Hope shapes character. 3. It calls us to endurance. Life brings suffering, loss and seasons of darkness. The promise of Christ’s return gives us strength to persevere. No tears, no sacrifice, no act of faithfulness is wasted. God sees, God remembers and God will redeem. The Second Coming is not escapism. It is the assurance that God will finish what He started. It is the promise that justice will prevail, that evil will not triumph and that the story ends with restoration, not ruin.
When will the Second Coming happen? This is the question every generation asks. And Scripture gives the same answer every time: “no one knows the day or the hour.” Jesus Himself said that the timing belongs to the Father alone. That is not meant to frustrate us but to free us. If we knew the date, we would become complacent. If we guessed the date, we would become anxious. Instead, Jesus calls us to live each day as if He could return at any moment. While the exact time is hidden, the Bible does speak of signs spiritual, moral and global – that will characterize the world as the day approaches. But these signs are not given so we can draw charts or set dates. They are given so we remain faithful, discerning and hopeful. The Second Coming is certain. The timing is unknown. The call is clear: be ready, be faithful, be hopeful.
In a world that often feels unstable, the promise of Christ’s return is a steadying truth. It reminds us that history is moving toward a destination, not drifting toward chaos. It assures us that the God who began His plan at Bethlehem and secured it at Calvary will one day complete it in glory. The Second Coming is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of everything God intended from the start, a redeemed people in a restored creation under the reign of a risen King. And that is a hope worth living for. “In order to win it, you have to be in it.” To be on the good side of the Second Coming, you need to start by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
God Bless. Father, we pray for our community. Help us and Bless us. Amen.
Please join us on Saturday, April 18 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. for a complimentary meal consisting of baked salmon, vegetables, salad, roll and dessert. Take outs are limited to what we have left over. 570-853-3988, Pastor Vince.