August 31, 2003

It is the birthday of educator Maria Montessori, born in Italy in 1870. She felt children should move around and interact with things in order to learn, and then they would discover new ideas on their own. Alan Jay Lerner was born in New York City in 1918 on this date. He wrote the lyrics in 1956 for the musical My Fair Lady, which was based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion. In the classic musical, Eliza Doolittle, who sells flowers in Covent Garden, agrees to take speech lessons from Henry Higgins in order to fulfill her dream of working in a flower shop. Eliza succeeds so well, however, that she outgrows her social station and--in a development added by Lerner that was not in the 1914 play Pygmalion--even manages to get Higgins to fall in love with her.

Over in Erie, a pizza delivery man told police he had been forced to rob a bank and asked authorities to help him minutes before a bomb strapped to his chest exploded and killed him. The bizarre case involved Brian Douglas Wells, 46, who left to deliver a pizza in a remote area about an hour before he turned up at the bank with a bomb strapped to his body. A TV station in Erie captured audio and video from Wells as he sat handcuffed in front of a state police cruiser pleading for someone to remove the bomb.

On Saturday, September 6, there will be a consignment auction to benefit the Beaver Run Amish Parochial School. The auction will be held at the school between Washingtonville and Turbotville. You can get further information at 570 437-3704, but we understand there will be up to six auctioneers calling concurrently.

Health related:
• Zane Hartman got up Saturday morning with chest pain, took two nitro pills and that did not seem to help. They decided to call the ambulance to take him to Geisinger. They ran some tests but had not found the reason for the chest pain yet. They gave him dialysis Saturday and admitted him. He was resting comfortably Saturday night, but they still intend to do more testing Sunday.
• Dexter Ribble, Maple Grove, following an almost all-night session in the emergency room at Bloomsburg Hospital Tuesday night, was admitted to the hospital Wednesday afternoon for evaluation.

In Happy Valley...
• Penn State treed the Temple Owls 23-10 in the opening game with
101,553 in the stands.
• The Owls held the Nittany Lions to 79 yards passing yesterday.
• Penn State had 186 of its 231 rushing yards yesterday in the second half.

Quote of the Day:
"They both handled themselves well. They held onto the ball, and they ran in the right direction."
--Joe Paterno, commenting on the two freshmen on the Penn State squad who excelled yesterday. One was Austin Scott, who set single-season Pennsylvania records with 3,853 yards and 53 touchdowns at Parkland High School near Allentown.

Quickies...
• Hunting provides recreation for about 900,000 Pennsylvanians, and it is the only practical way of managing deer populations.
• Pennsylvania peppers are a significant source of vitamin C.
• The soy-beans are huge this year, compared to most years in recent memory.
• Benton Area Schools begin their fall classes Tuesday. Take the time to look at their web site, http://www.bentonsd.k12.pa.us/ .
• A number of people attending the ice cream festival at New Columbus last night got a special treat--over and above the delicious peach ice cream--when they toured the Academy.

The author of Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was born in London on this date in 1797 under the name Mary Godwin. Mary was born to a writer named Mary Wollstonecraft, who died from complications with the pregnancy and Mary grew up thinking she was her mother's murderer, and she spent a lot of time trying to communicate with her mother's spirit. Mary met the married poet Percy Shelley when she was about 15, and soon he and Mary fell in love. Mary's father forbid Shelley ever to see his daughter again, Shelley attempted suicide, but love won out and he and Mary went to France. Later, at a cottage in Switzerland shared with poet Lord Byron, they all decided to write a horror story. Mary wrote about a scientist who brought a dead body to life, the story expanded into a novel, and Frankenstein was published in 1818 when Mary was 21.

Fuel prices are at their highest level, before adjusting for inflation, since the Energy Department began tracking them in 1990. Locally, gas costs about $1.69 a gallon, up about 32 cents from a year ago. In the Midwest, the price is reported in the $1.72 range. And then there is California, where we hear gasoline is about $2.10 a gallon.

Getting a look at approximately 2,000 native American projectile points—which we'll generally call "arrowheads"—along with assorted tomahawks, spades, hoes, wampum, ornaments and hammer stones is exciting, especially when all of these articles were gathered within 30 miles of Benton.

Barry Harrison, normally seen working at the Benton Post Office, showed us his collection the other night. He learned the art of locating native American artifacts from some very good teachers: his grandfather, J. C. Knouse, from Carnigie Knouse, who had an extensive collection, and from his father, Gayle, a former Benton Chief of Police.

You can read the story and see the pictures under FEATURES, in a story entitled simply "The Arrowhead Collection of Barry Harrison."

Email has become one of the most widespread ways of communication in today's society. A white-collar worker "receives about 40 email messages in his office every day." Based on different estimates, there will be from 610 billion to 1100 billion messages sent this year alone. With the average size of an email message 18,500 bytes and growing, the amount of flow becomes surprisingly gigantic, somewhere between 11,285 and 20,350 terabytes.
--Source: web site "How Much Information."

Eye have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight for it to say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew!

The Benton High School Class of 1984 has started planning for its 20th Class Reunion coming up next year. Please contact Chris Vincent .

We got a complaint from a reader about having to double-click email messages and other files in order to open them. Try hitting "enter" once, which should work the same as a double-click.

In the sports world...
• The US Open will be shown on CBS at 8 PM, September 5. You'll see a new winner this year on the women's side. Serena Williams is not competing this year because of a knee injury.
• Kickoff for the Nittany Lions' home game against Temple University is 3:30 PM.
• Benton-Northwest's Tyler Brewington scored a two-over-par 74, winning his fourth consecutive meet to start the season at Thursday's Susquehanna Valley Conference Eastern Division golf match. Tyler finished four strokes ahead of Danville's Colby Rothermel. Tyler finished fourth at the 2002 PIAA Boys' Golf Championship with a three-over-par 145 in the 36-hole tournament. At Windsor Heights Monday, Brewington shot a two-under-par 64. Back home at Mill Race Golf Course Tuesday, Tyler shot a six-under-par 65. His Willow Run score last week was an even-par 72. During the summer, Brewington just missed winning the North Central Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Tour overall championship, but was nudged out by a player from South Williamsport. Tyler is a senior at Benton High School.

Quote of the Day:
"Anybody that's as good as he is isn't going to let mediocre be the norm."
--Coach Kay Hoostie, discussing Tyler Brewington's golf game.

Citing the budget crunch that the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is facing, wages of executives, administrators and managers have been frozen for fiscal year 2004. The action extends to the top, to the chancellor and 14 university presidents. The State System is facing something like a $40 million revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year.

It is gratifying to see the wave of relief sweep over people fed up with landlords who have a pattern of not maintaining their properties. We have received email with attachments of pictures of properties with deplorable conditions and letters from tenants with specific problems that their landlords will not address. We received pictures of garage roofs caving in, of elevated porches with no railings, of houses with no gutters or downspouts, of mobile homes that tolerate abuse, of houses with porches falling off, of houses where interior electrical problems exist, of animals chained outside around the clock without food or water or protection from the weather, of houses with multiple unrelated residents. In all cases, these problems did not occur overnight—they represent a continuing pattern of neglect and are an unacceptable blight on the community. These problems affect all residents of Benton in terms of property value and respect for the community, but the problem actually extends into adjoining townships where problem properties are blighting the beauty of our area. Our wish is that the entire area would band together to enact appropriate penalties for those property owners who just don't care.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is 67 today. British philosopher John Locke, was born in England in 1632 on this date. He wrote Two Treatises of Government in 1690. His ideas formed the basis for much of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Physician, poet, and humorist Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, MA, in 1809. He wrote novels, poetry, and humorous essays.

Quote of the Day:
"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes

Windows XP allows you to automatically download Windows updates but you must configure it to do so. Click on Start|Control Panel|Performance and Maintenance|System. In the System properties dialog, click the Automatic Updates tab, click on "Download the update automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed" and Apply.

And while we're talking about computers, we'll mention again that the latest version of the Micro$oft operating system is called "Longhorn." Reports we have read indicate that the system will be completely incompatible with any current software because of its new filesystem. Picture explaining to your spouse that you are going to shell out thousands on new hardware and software so that you can be out in front of the Joneses by running the latest OS from Micro$oft! It is as if the company will only support a product for a certain period of time, after which you will have to buy the new version of the product with its new bugs and problems, just when you're starting to get comfortable with the old version and the bugs and problems. If you don't buy the new product, the company won't support you, and you'll be on your own. What is so wrong with building a product and then supporting it?

The DVD Chicago is now for sale, for those of you who loved the movie.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will offer public tours of its game farms in mid-September. Guided tours will begin at noon and will conclude by 3 PM at the game farms in Lycoming County. Stops will include pheasant breeder pens, hatcheries, brooder houses, and rearing and "grow-out" pens. Tour dates and directions to the game farms are as follows:
• Loyalsock Game Farm: Sunday, Sept. 21, Lycoming County, 136 Game Farm Rd., Montoursville, PA 17754. Located 5 miles north of Montoursville on Route 87.
• Northcentral Game Farm: Sunday, Sept. 21, Lycoming County, HC-31, Box 335, Williamsport, PA 17701. Located 23 miles north of Montoursville on Route 87.

The next rainy day would be an excellent time to go to a library, if for no other reason than to get in practice for when the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center opens in Benton. Orangeville is our closest library. Go to http://www.ncldistrict.org/orangeville/ for more information.

An elderly man, unsure of how to "work the computer," stared at the monitor, not even sure how to get the computer going. A grandson looked at the screen and in a reassuring voice told his grandfather that the computer needed to know what his name was. Granddaddy leaned toward the screen and whispered, "My name is Claude."

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis C Wolff announced yesterday that Pennsylvania will receive $3.9 million in federal funds for farmland preservation this year. The Secretary of Agriculture disburses funding for the acquisition of easements designed to protect and maintain farmland by requiring it be utilized for agricultural production. Currently, more than 13,400 acres of state farmland has been preserved under the federal program. The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board is expected to vote as early as today on preserving 50 additional farms, totaling 5,339 acres.

Geisinger Hospital, responding to reports of long waits in the emergency room, has instituted a specialty center open from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM to handle patients who aren't in urgent need of help. It will handle injuries like ankle sprains, fractures, lacerations and cuts, bruises, bee stings and minor allergic reactions.

With school about to resume, it is appropriate to go back in time to some of the outstanding classes of the past. Let's take a look at the class of 1940, 1944, 1945 and 1949 and mention the top fifth of those high school graduating classes.
• Class of 1940: Muriel Hess, Jeanne McHenry, Mary Kline, Betty Crossley, Kathleen Appleman, Eleanor Dildine, Harold Shultz, Kenneth Kindig, Donald Rabb, Guild Conner, Eleanor Hess, Blanch Savage.
• Class of 1944: Jennie Brewington, Jessie Fine, Doris Yorks, Mary Ellen Fritz, Clement Sharek, Elmer Getz, Edwin Allegar, Ralph Johnson, Jr.
• Class of 1945: Evelyn McHenry, Betty Rabb, Dorothy Hess, Anne Vansock, Irene Knappa, Wilma Johnson, Hubert Conner.
• Class of 1949: Anna Stella Raski, Barbara Long, Ruth Rhinard, June Phillips, Katherine Ash, Edwin McHenry, John Harrington, David Strauch, Jimmie Johnson, Robert Moore.

A biotechnology company, IND Lifetech USA Inc., plans to move into the Mattern Building in Mildred, bringing up to 25 new jobs to Sullivan County. The Mattern Building is the former Endicott-Johnson Co. shoe factory, donated to Sullivan County in 2000. IND Lifetech sells frozen cow embryos, and moved to the plant to be near the Taylor-Excel meatpacking plant in Wyalusing. Plant workers will extract eggs from the ovaries of cows brought to Taylor-Excel, then fertilize and freeze the eggs for shipment to China.

Today is the anniversary of the first commercial in the history of radio. It happened on this day in 1922 over WEAF in New York, and was a commercial for an apartment complex in the suburbs of New York. Direct advertising was prohibited by law at that time, and so the announcer talked about the apartments without mentioning anything about the rates and only mentioned the name of the apartments once.

Dorothy J. (Collins) Harter, 88, (November 30, 1914—August 27, 2003), 456 Paperdale Road, Stillwater, died Wednesday morning at the Orangeville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was the daughter of the late John and Hattie Rebecca (Terry) Collins, Berwick, and was a 1933 graduate of Berwick High School. She was an active member of the Stillwater Christian Church and served on the Stillwater Election Board for many years. Brothers Rockwell Farrell and Theodore Farrell preceded her in death. With her husband, Henry H. Harter, they recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Also surviving are two children: Mrs. George (Marian E.) Wech, and Jack H. Harter, Stillwater; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be 10 AM Saturday at the McMichael Funeral Home, Benton, with burial in St. James Cemetery.

This may be old news since it was reported yesterday, but up in Scranton officials of the Moses Taylor Hospital told the Scranton Times newspaper that the $700,000 annual cost for malpractice insurance in the year 2000 skyrocketed to $3-million in 2003.

A sign indicating that the property has been condemned has been placed on several properties owned by Nevin Hartman in the borough of Benton.

Take time now to mark your calendar for a reminder on September 8 at the Benton Elementary School when the Benton Town Council meets. One of the items that will be certainly be discussed at the council meeting will be run-down property in Benton. It appears as though the days of letting the old chestnuts fall down while still packing the houses with people are coming to an end. The houses that were condemned yesterday will pave the way for improvement in others in similar condition. If a pattern of property abuse exists in other local property, we suggest that immediate action be taken on the part of landlords to bring the property to community standards. There are enough people in town now who just won't stand for junk property any longer.

Jared Ketner, Benton High School class of 1958 and Bloomsburg University class of 1962, now living in Wahoo, Nebraska, peddled his way through Benton yesterday with his son, Dr. J. B. Ketner.

Jared's father, Warren, was principal of the local high school for many years. Jared, a graduate of Bloomsburg State College, and his brother, George, are both retired teachers. We remember back to August of 1964 when Jared and Grace Elizabeth Ham, Verbank, NY, were married. Jared was proudly accompanied by his best man who was also his father, Warren L. Ketner. Jared and his bride were both teachers in Edgar, Nebraska, at the time. Jared recalls that she agreed to go to Nebraska for three years maximum. As with the best plans of many people, things changed and they stayed.

Wendy's Restaurant opens for business Thursday in its new building located at the intersection of Routes 11 and 54 in Danville.

Seen in the personals column:
"MINT CONDITION: Male, 1922, high mileage, good condition, some hair, many new parts including hip, knee, cornea, valves. Isn't in running condition, but walks well."

Proudly hanging on the wall of our office are two advertisements for Paul E. Wirt, a Bloomsburg attorney. Wirt's writing in his practice of law prompted him to develop a fountain pen which effectively replaced the goose quill and the pen with metal nib, pens that needed dipping into an ink well. Wirt established a factory for manufacturing fountain pens in 1885 at the corner of Iron and Eighth Streets, Bloomsburg. This factory turned out an estimated 3,000 pens each week.

Wirt was also a director of the Bloomsburg National Bank, later known as the Bloomsburg Bank & Columbia Trust Company, today known as First Columbia Bank and Trust Company.

The advertisements on our wall are framed in copper, and are very similar...
• The first from 1891, an advertisement for a pen Wirt called "the Century," reads, "More sold than all other makes combined, the Paul E. Wirt Fountain Pen, Bloomsburg, PA. 450,000 in use. Positively the leading pen." The pen then quoted Mark Twain, who allegedly said, "An absolutely perfect reservoir pen, a pen compared with which all other pens are frank failures."
• The second advertisement dated 1900 reads, "Paul E. Wirt Fountain Pen, positively the leading pen. A million in use. Ask dealers or send for catalogue. Mention 'the Century.' Bloomsburg, PA."

You can view some pictures of the fountain pen and read more history of the man at http://www.paulwirt.com/wirtpen_gallery.htm .

Quote of the Day:
"With a single Wirt pen I have earned the family's living for many years. With two, I could have grown rich."
-Letter to Wirt Fountain Pen Company, October 11, 1898.

Quotes of the Day:
• "Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
—Mother Teresa, born on this date in 1910
• "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
—Confucius, born on this date in 551 BC

We thought that we would see red last night but when we got outside to do it, the cloud cover was too thick. Well, anyway, tonight is the night when Mars is the closest to the earth in—well, a very long time. Here is some information about the red planet...
• The air on Mars is as thin as Earth's atmosphere is at 55,000 feet.
• The air on Mars consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide.
• Temperatures on Mars typically hover around minus 80° Fahrenheit.
• More than half of the space probes sent to Mars have exploded or vanished.

Last night in the meeting hall of the Benton Volunteer Fire Company, people who have pledged their support to the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center gathered to hear the plans for the center, eat a little dessert and ask questions about the state of the project. Fifty-six people, who, with others, have raised over $400,000 in support of the center, watched and listened to Rich Kisner of the Columbia Country Housing and Redevelopment Authority present the goals and objectives of the center, starting with what the center will be used for, progressing through a artist's representations of the building, and going over the budgets for the project. The group contributed many excellent ideas, and we'll discuss some of them with you in the coming weeks.

Bill Klink, Columbia County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, provides opening comments. Elsie Byers and Chuck Chapman sit at the head table.			Rich Kisner provides project details as an enthusiastic audience participates in the discussion.

State Rep. John Gordner, R-Berwick, officially announced Monday that he is running to replace state Republican State Sen. Ed Helfrick. Democrats reportedly are attempting to get State Representative Todd Eachus, Luzerne County, or State Representative Bob Belfanti, Montour County, to be their candidate for a November Special Election.

Anna S. Baker writes that "It appears I have survived my heart surgery :) so would like to thank my classmates of '49 for their cards and messages. They were real day brighteners."

We recently saw the concept of "billion" explained so that we could understand it. A billion seconds ago, it was 1959. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate Washington spends it. Our current national debt is currently somewhere around $6,795,036,628,931.00. To get the exact figure, go to http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/ and when you do take a hard look at the national debt per person in the United States.

King Charles II of England chartered Pennsylvania in 1681 in payment of a debt, and set off a series of events that culminated in the founding of a "free colony for all mankind," founded by William Penn in 1682 as a haven for those seeking religious freedom. The colony became a home and refuge for Quakers seeking to escape the harassment and persecution they suffered because of their refusal to substitute "man-made law for the law of God." Rather than go into a detailed discussion of Quakers at this point, we suggest that you refresh your memory on the subject and take a look at www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/REquakers.htm .

Until 1700, Pennsylvania consisted mostly of Quakers who had emigrated from England, Wales, Ireland and Holland. In his Conditions and Concessions of 1681, William Penn decreed that any group whose combined land purchases were 5,000 to 10,000 acres could arrange to have their plantations—rural land grants—placed side by side as a township.

In the ninth article of "Conditions and Concessions," William Penn reserved to himself "10,000 acres in every 100,000." This agreement eventually only applied to the first purchasers. Down in Chester County, where perhaps more is known about the subject than we can find out here, much of West Bradford Township was retained by Penn, but was eventually abandoned. In documents relating to those lands dating from 1700 we read, "According to the Primitive Regulations for laying on Lands in the Province, by which it was provided that one tenth part of all the lands therein surveyed should be appropriated to the Proprietary thereof," "five hundred acres in every township of 5,000 acres shall be surveyed" and "make due returns thereof with a protracted figure of the field work into my office."

An interesting fact regarding the lands in Benton township and the borough concerns the establishment in 1769 of one of the famous "manors" of the Penn family. These divisions of land were set apart for the exclusive use of the Penns themselves, and in many instances were the last of the lands in the Commonwealth to be disposed of. The manors in Columbia county were two tracts of 530 acres each and were "situate on a large branch of Fishingcreek, eight or ten miles above the end of Fishingcreek mountain, or about two miles north of the present town of Benton. (If you go to the Swartwout story, under FEATURES, you can see an 1850 map showing the Manor Lands). In the original survey the name of "Putney Common" was applied to those lands.

The first recorded settler in Benton township was Benjamin Coleman, who bought land from Daniel McHenry and founded what was later the "Laubach farm." Jonathan Colley was another settler who came to this section prior to 1797. The house in which he lived was built near the Swartwout mill. Coleman and McHenry came to this area about 28 years after the Manor Lands were established, and we admittedly can find the land on early maps, but we have never seen any trace of the exact boundary of the land, or in what year the land was abandoned. Can any readers help?

Some Pennsylvania historians claim that only 50% of Pennsylvania's first purchasers actually came to America.

Early settlers in Pennsylvania faced terrible adversity and had to be strong, obstinate, stubborn and courageous. These earliest state settlers—our forefathers—had to clear medical inspections and pledge allegiance to the King of England, then buy horses, wagons, provisions, find out about routes and hazards along the way without calling AAA, probably had to hire some kind of guide, and probably had to travel in at least small wagon trains to try to protect themselves against Indian attacks. In Pennsylvania, they traveled by wagon and foot over trails and riverbeds that eventually became our roads of today, not having much of an idea about what dangers faced them during the journey or what they would find at their destination. They had to rely on wagons and their feet. Large rivers may have had ferries they could use, but the small rivers had to be forded with their wagons. Somewhere along the way they had to buy their livestock--cattle, pigs, chickens, goats--and take them along with them on their journey. There were no merchants selling them at their destination.

Perhaps now you'll realize why we are the tough old codgers that we are! Now you will remember where you got it! Now get up from your computer table and get to work!

In 1939 on this date, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS—a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The teams split, if you are keeping score.

It was on this day in 1920 that the Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, issued a proclamation announcing the incorporation of the 19th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution, ending more than 70 years of struggle by woman suffragists. It simply said, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The House and Senate passed it, and 35 states including Pennsylvania (June 24, 1919) ratified it, but 36 were required to complete the 2/3 majority. Tennessee did their duty August 18 as legislator Harry Burn, then 24, voted for the amendment at the last minute because his Momma told him to sign it. Tennessee became the 36th state to approve suffrage for women. Tennessee's certified vote came by train to Washington, D.C., arriving early on August 26. Colby signed the proclamation that morning at his residence, with no ceremony and no photographers.

Quote of the Day:
"I turn to the women of America and say: 'You may now fire when you are ready. You have been enfranchised.'"
--Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby

Gas prices zoomed at a record pace over the last two weeks, increasing by 15.53¢ a gallon to a national average of $1.72, according to a national survey of gas stations. Motorists seem to be taking to the road later this year, after a rainy spring and early summer on the East Coast. Supplies have been reduced by power outages at refineries. A major gasoline pipeline break in Arizona contributed and readers have told of paying over $3 a gallon for gas in the Phoenix area.

President of the School Board, Dennis Threlkeld, assures us that the high school building will be ready September 2. We know that an army of people are working at the moment, so we have not shared any pictures of the revamped building yet. We will before school starts.

Upcoming...
• Classes in Benton Area Schools begin Tuesday, September 2, 2003.
• The 152nd Sullivan County Fair opens tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon at the fairgrounds in Forksville and runs through next Monday.
• WOLF-TV (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) will be one of the five Pennsylvania stations carrying the ESPN regional telecast of Saturday's Penn State-Temple football game. Kickoff is at 3:30 PM in Beaver Stadium. Coach Joe's Nittany Lions will be appearing on television for the 105th time in their last 106 games.

A site by the American Veterinary Medical Association allows you to explore through animation how much fun pets are and how much fun the people who care for pets are having. It is excellent for the new pet owner and gives lots of pet tips. Kids can find a collection of puzzles, games, and "play sheets" under the heading "Potpourri." Go to http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/default.asp .

And speaking of pets, a reader in Benton Township has a three-year old beagle which loves to hunt. The dog is free to a loving good home. The dog must be given up because of the sale of the property. The kennel goes with the dog. Email for the next step.

The news from Micro$oft...
• Anyone using Windows 95/98/ME gets the last laugh. Those operating systems might be old and out-of-date, but they are immune to Blaster.
• Office 2003 has been released to manufacturing and should be available pre-installed on OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) machines in the next couple of weeks and on the shelves at local stores October 21. Anyone who buys Office XP (2002) products between August 15 and November 30 can upgrade to the equivalent Office System 2003 product for the cost of shipping.
• The next major update to Outlook Express for Windows won't be available until Longhorn, the next version of Windows, ships in 2005.

Somewhere between 350 and 500 motor cycle riders participated Sunday in the ninth annual fund-raiser for chronically ill and physically disadvantaged kids who attend Camp Victory in Greenwood Township. The 75-mile circle tour didn't pass through Benton this year, concentrating on Clinton, Lycoming and Sullivan counties. Camp Victory was started by Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff who donated 32 acres to start the camp in honor of his son, Nicholas. The camp now takes up 60 acres, and includes 10 cabins, a dining hall and outdoor activities.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has a new emergency notification system to protect Pennsylvania residents from environmental dangers. The emAlert Emergency Notification System links DEP electronically with the operators of nuclear power plants, conventional fuel power plants, public water supplies, sewage-treatment plants, high-hazard dams and large, above-ground storage tanks. The system will update plant operators electronically about any event that triggers the system. We can all sleep better tonight...

We don't seem to live in a "sitting on the steps, lunch boxes with thermos, playing in the crick, penny candy from the store, skates with keys, wax lips and mustaches, saddle shoes" kind of world any more. For many, life is too frantic, too busy. These days with only 24 hours in them just don't get the job done any more.

State flags are flying at half-staff in memory of former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert N. C. Nix, Jr. until his Thursday burial.

August 25, 2003

Getting out of bed in the morning is an act of false confidence.

"Quarrel with a friend —and you are both wrong."
—Lao-Tzu

Quote of the Day:
"Never shall I forget when the men in the mailboat struck up the tune of Rule Britannia, which they sang, or rather shouted, in a hoarse roar. I felt a gulping sensation in my throat as the old tune, which I had heard in all parts of the world, once more struck my ears under circumstances so extraordinary. I felt now I should do it, and I did it."
--Swimmer Matthew Webb

There is always a lot of interest in researching our ancestors, and when we find the occasional horse thief or the first child that hurried up the process just a little, we basically just get a knowing smile on our faces and go on. Remember that someday you will be an ancestor, too! What are you leaving as a record of your life and times? Are you making it as hard to trace as your ancestors made it for you? Consider sitting down with your video recorder and tell your story. Future generations will love knowing what your voice sounded like, what you looked like, and what your favorite things were.

On September 10-14, the 35th Annual Pennsylvania Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show takes place at the State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg.

Health watch:
• Betty Seidle, Jerseytown, a patient in Bloomsburg Hospital.
• Zane Hartman, continuing leg problems.
• Owen Hess writes, "I would like to thank everyone that sent flowers, cards, phone calls and visits from friends."

We like to poke around and see what was going on at a particular point in time. Today, we picked 1936 as a good year to investigate.
• On the national level, Bruno Hauptmann, tried and convicted for the murder of Charles Linbergh's infant son, was electrocuted. Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb are named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, even though Tony Lazzeri of the New York Yankees hit two grand slam home runs in one game this year. The Hoover Dam opened on the Colorado River, forming the 115-mile Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the United States. Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the biggest victory in election history, taking 523 electoral votes. And Shirley Temple turned 8 years old.
• The Berwick Creamery had been around since 1899, and the name Clewell's was being used by the dairy. They marketed an ice cream called "Velvet" and promised "speedy delivery" for those who called up 264. Fairwood Dairy was a second place in Berwick to buy dairy products, and promised that their dairy products were accredited by both tuberculin and blood tests.
• The W. F. McMichael automotive dealer in Berwick, in business from 1908, was the place to buy Plymouth and DeSoto cars.
• At 162 West Front Street, Berwick, Nellie Welliver was the place to purchase dresses and accessories.
• The Zeiser Vault Company in Nescopeck had been in business since 1927, and promised caskets that were "permanent, everlasting and waterproof."
• Letterman's Baking Co., Fourth and Market Streets, Bloomsburg, promised that their bakery products are the "same fine ingredients as you would use in your own home."
• Wise Potato Chips were around in 1936, marketed by Wise Delicatessen Co.

A little opposition is nothing new for Sen. Arlen Specter, but as he seeks a fifth term he faces a barrage of early opposition from national conservative voices. The conservative bible, National Review, appeared this week with a cover photo of Specter over the headline, "The Worst Republican Senator."

A reader is interested in pictures of the Benton Gulf station and the Amoco station across Main Street when they were owned by Harry Ackerman. A reader also is looking for a picture of the railroad bridge over the fishing Creek. Can some readers help out?

Arcadia Word of the Day:
WAFFLE (contraction).
Usage: "Yew better git home, bubba, else yer waffle be real mad."

A year ago at this time, the signs were posted at the DR Quick Mart, Main Street, and residents anxiously awaited the opening.

Local Web Sites:
• Take the time to have a look at the Greenwood Friends School web site at http://www.greenwood-friends.org/ .
• The Benton Rodeo Association, in an effort to promote tourism/business, has created a Columbia County Community page at http://www.bentonrodeo.com/cgi-bin/Benton/Benton.cgi .

August 24, 2003

Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

August 24, 2003, the 75th birthday of former teacher Dayne Hartman—three-fourths of a century! Dayne also says that he is the longest continuing member of the Benton Christian Church. Comments poured in about Dayne; i.e., a local minister observed that "Dayne would be 76 now, except he failed first grade" and we heard Dayne himself say that he would actually be 78 now, if he hadn't been sick two years. George Remphrey commented that he never guessed that Dayne was that old, since he had "such a young looking wife." Dayne celebrates his birthday concurrently with the 43rd birthday of baseball player Cal Ripkin, Jr.

There are only a few days until the summer vacation is over for school students and 30 days until the official start of fall. At 54° at press time, the cricket's chirps were far apart. ("The faster a cricket chirps, the warmer the temperature," sayeth the Farmer's Almanac.)

During the War of 1812, British forces marched on Washington, D.C. At a brief, unfortunate battle known as the Battle of Bladensburg , British forces defeated the American forces, and on this day in 1814 the British captured, then dined at and later burned the White House and the Capitol. The British, under orders not to hold any territory, then withdrew. Reconstruction began a year later and was finished in September 1817, in order that James Monroe could move into the new White House.

On this date in 1682, the Duke of York awarded William Penn the three "lower counties" in the American colonies, later to become the state of Delaware. We'll take just a second to review the history of Delaware, before we get on to the other business of today. Penn acquired what is now Delaware to prevent his Pennsylvania colony from being landlocked. The Delaware territory remained part of Pennsylvania until 1704, when it was given its own assembly. Delaware ratified the new U.S. Constitution in 1787, becoming the "first state" of the United States.

The Lenni Lenape, or Delaware, Indians were Delaware's first settlers. These Indians supported themselves by farming, hunting, and fishing. Swedes started arriving in the late 1630s in what is now Wilmington and that area flourished as a center for saw, paper and flour mills and later as the home of DuPont Industries. French immigrant Eleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours founded DuPont in 1802 as a gunpowder mill outside of Wilmington.

Delaware sided with the Union during the Civil War. The river route into the state was protected by Fort DuPont on the Delaware shore, Fort Mott on the New Jersey shore, and Fort Delaware in the center of the river. Fort Delaware housed Confederate prisoners of war, and after the Battle of Gettysburg, the fort held an estimated 12,500 prisoners.

Do you like tractor and equipment parades, steam traction engines, antique tractors, antique machinery and gasoline engines in operation? Do you like to watch steam-operated machinery threshing grain, bailing straw, sawing wood shingles, sawing logs into lumber? Do you like model trains, horse-drawn wagons and equipment, peanut roasting, home made ice cream, bean soup, and over 500 different venders selling at a flea market? If you said "yes" once or twice to the above, consider the 29th annual show September 4, 5, 6, & 7, 2003 at Penn's Cave, Centre Hall, PA, of the Nittany Antique Machinery Association, Inc. of Central Pennsylvania. This year the featured tractors are the Minneapolis Moline & Fairbanks Morse. We hope to see you there.

Are you planning to have a sip before you get behind the wheel? The chief public defender in Luzerne County, according to a Citizens Voice article today, estimates that a "DUI conviction could cost as much as $10,000 in court costs, fines, fees, counseling and increased insurance rates" and these costs could go up even more for repeat offenders.

Don't forget to put the 36th annual Flaming Foliage show and sale on your October 4 and 5 calendar. It will be held at the Forksville Fairgrounds.

The Fairmount Fire and Ambulance Volunteers will hold an "all you can eat" breakfast at their firehall September 7 from 8 AM.

Youngsters today have a tough time with events that occurred before their time. A college freshman, for example, felt that Roe vs. Wade was about the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware.

We are very behind in reporting the news, and we'll do this one in detail later, but two pledges rolled in this week in the amount of $51,000 for the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center. One $50,000 pledge is in support of having the proposed gymnasium upgraded to a full-size gym. If you are in need of additional information about the community center, please feel free to email and we'll get you all the information about the center that you need. Any help that you can give in the form of a pledge now for payment later will help the entire area so very much.

The Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, better known as "The Grange Fair," runs through August 28. The fair is a city within a town, as campers live for more than a week in tent city. The Grange Fair has been around for 129 years, ever since Leonard Rhone urged the Progress Grange to join sister granges in having a picnic to which they would invite their neighbors and introduce the Grange Organization and the benefits of membership in such a fraternity. The Grange fair has grown into a family tradition with some campers going back generation after generation. Tent sites are passed down to family members as prized possessions. The Fair now includes over 950 tents, 1300 RV's, hundreds of concessions, over 7,000 exhibit items, amusement rides, livestock, tractor pulling and much more! And what is playing today you ask... "Cowboys for Christ" opens at 8 AM, the "Dancing Boots" line dancers are on at 2 PM, and the highlight of the evening is a worship service at 7 PM.

It seems that protection from a computer virus is generally something that readers strive for, but email continues to go booming about pretending to be from someone you know when actually it comes from someone else's inbox that has your email address in it. Please get your antivirus program updated. If you don't have one or haven't paid for updates, you can get an antivirus program totally free from http://www.grisoft.com .

Amish live within self-sufficient communities and do not collect Social Security, unemployment or welfare benefits. Their religious beliefs hold that paying Social Security is tantamount to not "taking care of their own." Self-employed Amish are not obliged to pay Social Security taxes, but pay property, income and sales tax. An Amish person working outside of the community must pay Social Security taxes.

In 1955, the IRS extended the Social Security Act of 1935 to include farm operators. Some Amish complied with the tax, but many conscientiously objected to it believing that paying a commercial insurance for the elderly went against their trust in God to take care of them. The IRS and the Amish fought over this until 1961, when the IRS seized a farmer's horses. The Amish elders united, and ensuing media and community outrage over the incident led the IRS to eventually relent. Tucked of in a corner in the 1965 Medicare Bill was a clause exempting religious groups that conscientiously objected to paying insurance premiums from Social Security tax. The sect must have been established prior to 1950 and maintain reasonable provisions for their elderly.

For more about the Amish, the Mennonites, the Brethren, and the other "Plain People" who reside in Pennsylvania, turn to http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml .

The oldest member of the state Senate, Republican Edward W. Helfrick, announced his resignation at close of business yesterday, citing health concerns after a bout with pneumonia earlier in the year. Helfrick, 75, a retired mining contractor, did not intend to seek re-election next year. He said that he was resigning so that a Special Election might be held concurrent with this November's General Election. Helfrick, Northumberland County, has served in the Senate since 1981, and has a little more than 16 months left in his term. He represents parts of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties. Helfrick is the chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee. The PGC released a statement that "Sen. Helfrick sponsored and pushed for legislation that benefited wildlife, hunting and trapping and the Pennsylvania Game Commission." To see the next step, keep your eyes on this man.

Brandon Schupp tells us that he has raised all the money that he needs to complete the Head Start project he started as an Eagle scout. Stop at the head start building and take a look at Brandon's progress as he builds a trike trail.

Wednesday morning before District Magistrate Ola Stackhouse, the Benton Zoning Officer brought charges against Nevin Hartman, Waller, on various allegations concerning an abandoned building on Main Street, Benton, and two properties in deteriorating condition on Market Street. Hartman pleaded not guilty to all charges. The zoning officer cited Hartman's continuing pattern of non-conformance with applicable zoning ordinances in the borough and produced numerous photographs to illustrate his case. Magistrate Stackhouse found Hartman guilty as charged on all three properties and a fine was levied for each property.

A long association with Benton moves to the next chapter August 27, as Josephine Chapin, Market Street, moves to the Homewood Retirement Center, 7401 Willow Road, Apartment 233, Frederick, MD 21702. She will be able to be reached by phone at 301 644-5824. Jo was a member of the Benton "Golden Girls" for a number of years. Many residents remember her husband, Ike Chapin, active in insurance and real estate matters in town for many years. Son Dave followed in his father's shoes and now owns Chapin & Associates, Frederick, MD. You can go to http://www.chapincommercial.com/ for more information. Dave would be happy to help with your real estate needs in the Frederick area. Stop and give Jo a gentle hug before she begins her new life in Maryland.

Didja hear about the Chicago radio announcer who introduced a record and announced that the next song "is for Charlotte Burke, who is a hundred and eleven. Hey, Charlotte, congratulations on a ripe old age!" There was a short pause and then the radio announcer said in a somewhat more subdued voice, "I'm sorry, I got it wrong. This next one is for Charlotte Burke, who is ill."

Eric Kocher was recently hired as head wrestling coach at Benton Area Schools. Kocher was formerly head wrestling coach at Vo-Tech for 11 years. He replaced Eric Shaffer.

The Sunbury Daily Item reports that if the FAA (Federal Highway Administration) approves the route of the Central Susquehanna Thruway by the end of October, right-of-way acquisition could begin next year. The $380-million Central Susquehanna Thruway includes a Routes 11-15 bypass around Hummels Wharf and Shamokin Dam and a Susquehanna River bridge near Winfield, connecting Route 15 and Route 147. The new bridge would be 4,000 feet long and 130 feet above the river. Construction could begin in 2007 and be completed three to five years later.

The new 7,100 square foot Park Office and Visitors Center at Ricketts Glen State Park was featured on the cover of the July/August issue of Design Cost Data as shown on http://www.dcd.com/case_studies/0307/030724.html .

The design included local and recycled materials and the architects chose Pennsylvania Bluestone and slate for the majority of the Visitors' Center's design.

The center was designed by Eyerman, Csala, Hapeman & Handman Architects. The new Park Office and Visitors Center was opened in the spring of 2002. The building includes year-round accessible restroom facilities, and houses offices for the park manager, park rangers, and the park education specialist.

The Times Leader reports that plans to renovate the River Common in Wilkes-Barre could get under way by spring-summer 2004 and carry a price tag of between $15 million and $20 million.

A new DVD film goes on sale nationwide Tuesday. It is entitled Johnstown Flood and is narrated by Richard Dreyfuss. It was filmed in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio and includes hundreds of vintage photographs and engravings. The movie tells the story of Pennsylvania's 1889 disaster from the point of view of the 2,200 people who either died or survived the 40-foot-high wall of water when a dam burst upstream on the Conemaugh River at the South Fork Hunting & Fishing Club.

General Mills begins marketing a Wheaties cereal box featuring Penn State coach Joe Paterno next week.

August 20, 2003

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
--Mark Twain

On this day in 1741, the Danish navigator Vitus Bering became the first white man to reach Alaska and explore the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. On orders of Peter the Great of Russia, Bering was on an expedition to see if Asia and North America were connected by a land bridge. Bering actually never saw the coast of North America. The Bering Strait between NE Asia and NW North America, connects the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea. It is usually completely frozen over from October to June. The narrowness of the strait makes it possible for small boats to cross from Chukchi Peninsula, NE Russia, to Seward Peninsula in Alaska. A theory holds that the ancestors of Native Americans crossed the land bridge to North America.

Jean R. Breece, 81, 5111 Magnolia Ridge Road, Fruitland Park, FL, died August 2, 2003. Born in Benton, he served with the Air Force during both World War II and the Korean Conflict. He retired as a Major, and was a retired flight inspector for the Federal Aviation Agency. John Herbert Laubach remembers that Mr. Breece flew a P-38 over the Benton school grounds during World War II. John recalls being outside and watching him make several passes. Survivors include his wife, Pat Breece, Fruitland Park; a son, Mike Breece, Lake Worth, FL; a daughter, Donna Baker, Weatherford, TX; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Janice Yost, Orangeville, a graduate of Benton High School Class of 1940. Funeral services were held August 7 in Florida under the direction of the Beyers Funeral Home Inc., Lady Lake. Burial was in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell.

On behalf of the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center, over $325,000 in grants, gifts, and pledges have been raised locally in pursuit of the total funding required. Additional funding continues to be requested and continues to arrive daily. In the coming weeks, it will be necessary to finalize DCNR grant requests for part of the remaining funding necessary to bring the project toward the home stretch.

All those who have pledged to the Community and Cultural Center have been invited to a dessert and coffee at the new Benton Volunteer Fire Hall at 7 PM Tuesday in order to receive an update on the plans and programs that will be served by the center. This public participation is in compliance with DCNR directives to make sure that the information provided to the people responsible for the project is correct.

The Board of Directors of the Community and Cultural Center are now actively considering the second phase of the program, based on the guidance received from those who responded to a recent survey randomly made in the northern part of the county. An astonishing 71% of those who responded to the questionnaire said they would like the center to consider a swimming pool as a next phase. We ask our readers to let us know how they feel about the possibility of pursuing a public pool.

Remember that the center is not funded by municipal funds, and considering a pool means considering a substantial commitment on the part of the residents of the community. Your thoughts are very necessary in order to know the next step in the process. Please let us know what you think by sending us an email. Do it today.

Tourists will soon descend on Benezette Township to watch the elk. Residents of Elk and Cameron Counties say the tourists tie up traffic and trample their backyards. Our recommendation is to ONLY go during the week and then plan to be watching at daylight and at sunset. Nap during the day, if you must.

Up in Towanda, school will open September 3. Delays in construction projects will force school to start a week after the August 27 planned start this fall for students in the Towanda Area School District.

Craig Cole, batting leadoff for his Saugus, MA, team hit an RBI single in the first and scored the eventual winning run in the fourth in a 4-3 victory over Boynton Beach, FL, on Monday night to win Pool A at the Little League World Series, Williamsport. Saugus (3-0) will face either Wilmington, DE, or Richmond, TX, in Thursday's U.S. semifinal. Boynton Beach (2-1) will play in Wednesday's semifinal against Pool B winner Chandler, AZ. Mexico and Venezuela advanced to the international semifinals from Pool D. Mexico beat Guam 11-3, and Venezuela defeated Russia 7-1.

A cashier in a grocery store yelled to a co-worker for the price of half-and-half. Without a moment's hesitation the other cashier replied, "One."

A Chicago reader, commenting on yesterday's mention that gas prices are going up, uP, UP, noticed an AMOCO-BP station in Chicago yesterday where regular was $1.89 and premium $1.99.

August 19, 2003

In 1929 on this date, the comedy program Amos 'n' Andy made its network radio debut on NBC and as Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll would say, "Ain't dat sumpin'?" Set in Harlem, Amos 'n' Andy concentrated on the activities of George Stevens, a conniving character always looking for a way to make a fast buck. He headed the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge, where he held the position of "Kingfish." As he got his lodge brothers involved in his schemes, he usually ended up at odds with them, with his wife Sapphire, and her mother. Mama, in fact, didn't trust him at all. Andy Brown was the most gullible of the lodge members, constantly being swindled by the Kingfish and the "big dummy" (as Kingfish called him) kept coming back for more. Kingfish would get them both into trouble, but would win Andy's cooperation with an appeal to his fraternal spirit. Amos was the philosophical cabdriver who narrated most of the episodes. Madame Queen was Andy's girlfriend and Lightnin' was the slow-moving janitor at the lodge. The turning point came in 1963 when CBS Films sold the show to Kenya and Western Nigeria. Soon afterward, an official of the Kenya government announced that the program would be banned in his country, causing this country to look again at the racial overtones of the show. Popularity plummeted soon after.

Quote of the Day:
"Holy mackerel, Andy! We's all got to stick together in dis heah thing...remember, we is brothers in that great fraternity, the Mystic Knights of the Sea."
--Andy Brown, the "Big Dummy, from the radio show Amos and Andy

On the mend...
• Ruth Kline is recovering at home, and enjoyed a short stay at the North Mountain Fireman's Carnival one night recently.
• Jean Deitrick is back home after a 5-week recuperation at Orangeville Health and Rehabilitation Center. She appreciated her many prayers, cards, visitors and callers.
• Owen Hess underwent surgery Monday.

A year ago we were lamenting the drought, one of the nation's worst in a half-century. The government reported that 56% of the continental U.S. was in at least moderate drought, with 40% in severe drought. Prices of sweet corn jumped from an average $2.50 per dozen to as much as $4.50.

WVIA will broadcast from the Polka Fest at the Scranton Cultural Center on Saturday, August 23, from 8:00 to 9:00 PM. The Polka Fest is a three-day event from August 22 through August 24 at the Scranton Cultural Center. Bands to be featured include Stanky and the Coal Miners, Jolly Joe and the Bavarians, Matty Rock, Johnny Jay Band and the Pennsylvania Villagers. There will be beer from the Lion Brewery to sample.

Thanks to a tip from Max Hartman, we have been running a free program called "NoAds" on our computers for some time with no problems. NoAds keeps Internet popup ads off your screen and out of your way. The program is fully configurable, allowing you to specify which ads you want to be destroyed automatically. It supports Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, America Online, and Opera. The program is very easy to use, and we give it FOUR STARS. Download it from http://www.southbaypc.com/NoAds/ .

A pretty young maiden of France
Decided she'd just "take a chance."
She let herself go For an hour or so
And now all her sisters are aunts.

Hillary Clinton yesterday blamed the blackout on the Bush Administration's advocacy of electric de-regulation, which, in the state of Pennsylvania's was put in place during the Clinton Administration.

Wednesday night we'll be watching the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart, under the stars at Wolf Trapp Filene Center. We'll take a short pause for the cause Thursday and we'll resume publication Friday sometime.

The electrical blackout last week reminded us just how decisively the 21st-century digital lifestyle can be laid low by a disruption in 19th-century electrons.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter was recently told up in Susquehanna and Tioga counties that the average price farmers received for their milk in 2002, $12.64 per hundredweight, was identical to the price paid in 1980. According to the Citizens Voice, Specter will introduce a new bill that will incorporate the cost of production into the prices paid to dairy farmers and give states the option to establish regional dairy marketing areas that would have a say in milk prices. The bill is expected to be introduced this September with a similar version in the House.

Gas prices in Bloomsburg at Sheetz and Sunoco on route 11 are $1.43 for regular, while Benton's prices have jumped to $1.51 or higher.

With the threat of rising interest rates, do you have your financial house in order?

The house was packed yesterday at the Brass Pelican for the George Turner discussion of the Orangeville Civil War Soldiers' Orphan School, 1865-1868. We have been promised that the transcript will be released to the Columbia County Historical Society and the Benton News at some point in the future. We realized that with the popularity of the North Mountain Historical Society's monthly meetings, we should improve our coverage of the meetings. We are in the process of adding all the minutes from the start of the organization. It is a big job, so hang in there for a couple more days. The next meeting of the History Buffs will take place September 15, 2003, at the Brass Pelican. David Kline will speak on the History of the Raven Creek Valley.

The scene along what is now Camp Lavigne Road. This date of this picture is unknown but is about 78 years old, we suspect. We are looking for the disposition of the covered bridge; if any readers know we would appreciate it. The wind mill, the railroad tracks and the covered bridge are long gone.

August 18, 2003

"The important thing is not to stop questioning."
-Albert Einstein

The first English child born in America, Virginia Dare, was born on this date in 1587 in what is now North Carolina, then called Roanoke Island, Virginia. She was the granddaughter of the Roanoke colony governor, John White. Her mother was Ellinor White Dare, one of 120 settlers who left England in 1587 on an expedition sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh. Nine days after she was born, grandfather White sailed from the Roanoke colony toward the nearest Wal-Mart in England for supplies. The group came up with a code that should they leave Roanoke Island, they were to carve their new location on a conspicuous tree or post. If the move had to be made because of an Indian or Spaniard attack, they were to carve over the letters or name a distress signal in the form of a Maltese cross.

Governor White returned to Roanoke Island on this day in 1590—his granddaughter Virginia's third birthday—but all of the settlers, including his granddaughter, had vanished and the word "Croatoan" without any cross or other sign of distress was carved on a post. To this day, no one is certain where the lost colony went, or what happened to them.

Virginia had been baptized on Sunday following her birth, the second-recorded Christian sacrament administered in North America. Manteo, an Indian chief, had been christened and named "Lord" a few days before.

School is fast approaching and with it the fall sports season! Once again, the fall sports schedule appears on the Benton school website (www.bentonsd.k12.pa.us) and we include it on the side panel of the Benton News for those interested parents and fans. The sports site will include postponements during the season. The first scheduled home Benton High school activity of the fall will take place August 26 at 4 PM when Wyoming Valley West brings its soccer team to Benton.

A father recently escorted his radiant daughter down the aisle. They reached the altar and the waiting groom; the bride kissed her father and placed something in his hand. The guests in the front pews responded with ripples of laughter. Even the minister smiled broadly. As her father gave her away in marriage, the bride gave him back his charge card.

From the "Well—It's About Time" Department, comes this...
A new device in some RCA TVs gives parents more control over TV viewing time. The KidPass menu option lets parents decide how much time, in 30-minute increments, the TV can be viewed each day. Programming covers a full week, and can be adjusted anytime. Viewing time is cumulative, and the remaining time is displayed in a banner at the top of the screen. Once the time limit is reached—zap, the TV shuts off and can only be turned back on with a password. RCA includes the function in four models with a suggested retail price of $240 for 20-inch model. Interested? Go to www.rca.com .

We have heard lots of people upset with the state about the debris under the route 487 bridge and a number of people have voiced their feelings about the growth of underbrush "down over the bank" from Market Street to the route 487 bridge.

A reader says that she is not familiar with the McHenry shot glass with all WHITE PRINT, just the ones with McHenry in red and the born 1812 in WHITE. Do any readers have any knowledge of this type? She writes that "This white one has block type letters (stencil like)."

The Pennsylvania Medical Society just released statistics showing specialists are leaving the state in what they call "a medical liability insurance crisis." According to the group, 29 of the state's 67 counties are experiencing or approaching shortages of primary care physicians.

It is possible that the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up.

From tomorrow through Thursday, about 45,000 people will visit Penn State's Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs to learn more about agriculture, shop for new equipment, or just enjoy the variety of activities at the 55-acre Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center. The event showcases research conducted by the university's College of Agricultural Sciences, and includes 350 commercial exhibits and interactive displays.

Just days after announcing that it planned to halt development on the Outlook Express email client, Microsoft has been forced to change its position following an outcry from customers.

Actress Mae West was born on this date in Brooklyn in 1892 or 1893. She started as a vaudeville dancer but moved to the stage in 1926 in a ditty called Sex, which got her arrested and thrown in jail for a week for "corrupting the morals of youth." The arresting officer testified—and underage children should shield their eyes at this point—that she not only "revealed her navel but moved it up and down and side to side." She was suddenly a star, writing and acting in Diamond Lil (1928) and The Constant Sinner (1931), then moved to the movies for I'm No Angel (1933) and She Done Him Wrong (1933).

It is the birthday of Ralph Teetor, a prolific (and blind) inventor, who invented cruise control. Teetor, blind since the age of five, built his first car by the age of 12. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Ralph Teetor became an mechanical engineer for the Light Inspection Car Company and later renamed the Perfect Circle Corporation. He became the Vice President of Engineering for Perfect Circle and later became the President. In 1945, Ralph Teetor received his first patent on a speed cruise control device. Early names for his invention included "Controlmatic," "Touchomatic," "Pressomatic" and "Speedostat" and the familiar name of "Cruise Control." Teetor thought of inventing cruise control after taking a jerky car ride with his lawyer. Cruise control was first offered in the 1958 Chrysler Imperial, New Yorker and Windsor car models and by 1960 cruise control was offered on all Cadillacs.

Didja know that William Penn, (1644-1718), English reformer and founder of Pennsylvania, is considered responsible for establishing freedom of worship in Pennsylvania? The colony became a haven for minority religious sects from Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. Penn was influenced by the preaching of Quaker itinerant minister Thomas Loe, joined the Religious Society of Friends and was jailed four times for stating his beliefs in public and in print.

When his father died in 1670, he inherited title to lands in England and Ireland. In 1681, he obtained a large grant of land from King Charles II in payment of a debt owed his deceased father, and he established the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Penn wrote that believers in "One Almighty and eternal God...shall in no wayes be molested or prejudiced for their Religious Perswasion or Practice." Penn's colony grew rapidly with settlers from Great Britain, Germany and Holland and by 1682, the year that he acquired the "three lower counties" that eventually became Delaware, the city of Philadelphia was under construction in accordance with his plans.

William Penn is also remembered for interacting peacefully with the Lenni Lenape Indians and for his 1697 draft of the Plan of Union, considered a forerunner of the U.S. Constitution.

Last year at this time we were saying that the current drought could end up being the nation's worst in a half-century. What a difference a year makes.

You can't tell it by the weather, but it is getting closer to Bloomsburg Fair time. Lets take a look at the entertainment for the 1975 fair. It included the broad smile and flashy costumes of Porter Wagoner; Tennessee Ernie Ford; Bobby "Roses are Red" Vinton; Charlie Pride, country's first African-American star; a rock concert by Blood, Sweat & Tears, a blend of rock and roll and jazz; impressionist and comedian Rich Little, Dolly Parton, Danny Davis and his Nashville Brass, and the comedy act of Tony the Wonder Horse. On Saturday, there was a 30-lap midget auto race.

If the PC you use is giving you poor performance because of the number of programs that run at system start-up, head over to http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm to find techniques that will identify and disable start-up programs from running.

Don't forget that Monday, August 18, the North Mountain Historical Society will feature George Turner, speaking on the subject of the "Orangeville Civil War Soldiers' Orphan School, 1865-1868." The buckwheat cakes will be on the griddle by 8:30 and the discussion gets lively about 9:15. The public is always invited and there is no admission charge.

Baseball historian Bill Jenkinson claims that Babe Ruth's home run at Wilkes University's Artillery Park in 1926 was the longest home run in the history of the sport. The ball traveled well over 600 feet.

Ruth's home run came two days after the New York Yankees lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1926 World Series. During that series, Ruth slammed four home runs, including a 510-foot blast, the longest in World Series history. It was also the World Series in which Ruth made a promise to hit a home run for hospitalized youngster John Sylvester. Ruth came through on the promise and paid a visit to Sylvester on October 11, one day before his home run at Artillery Park.

Ruth came to the Wyoming Valley on October 12 to participate in an exhibition game between Hughestown and Larksville. After challenging Larksville pitcher Ernie Corkran to throw his fastest pitch, Ruth cracked what is apparently the longest ball in baseball history. Ruth actually asked for his home runs to be measured. Ruth seemed to have a special place in his heart for the Wilkes-Barre area and after the exhibition game at Artillery Park ended, Ruth paid a visit to Mercy Hospital where he shook hands with many patients. Ruth reportedly came to the Wyoming Valley to hunt and fish during the off-season.

Four family members are buried high on a bluff in the peaceful setting of the cemetery at Lake Ganoga. Jean H. Ricketts, R. Bruce Ricketts, II, Margaret B. Ricketts, and William R. Ricketts are buried there. John Green, a servant of Colonel Ricketts dating back to his civil war days, is also buried there.

The 3,140 acres of the Lake Ganoga property sold to a group in October, 1957, for $109,000. The stone mansion was part of that sale. Two years later, the Lake Ganoga Association formed to maintain the recreational facilities at the lake. Many beautiful homes surround the lake today.

We are not sure how long this link will be available, and we apologize if it is down by the time you get a chance to look at it, but an excellent minute-by-minute log of the recent power blackout is available at http://www.buzzmachine.com/blackout/penn.html . The site includes such things as Oxymoron of the Day: North American Electric Reliability Council at http://www.nerc.com/ .

Want to find out what's bugging your alfalfa plants? Ever wonder what animals live inside a tree trunk? Want to compare all the latest models of hay balers? Looking for advice on handling pesticides more safely? Ag Progress Days, Pennsylvania's largest outdoor agricultural exposition comes up Tuesday through Thursday, August 19-21, at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45.

The Mill Race Golf Course, Benton, is a flat and wide-open course with water hazards and trees. The signature hole is number 16, a 534-yard, par five, requiring two difficult shots over water in order to reach the narrow peninsula green. The large greens vary in speed. Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson designed the back nine, added in 1977. Tee times are only reserved for weekends and holidays. If you haven't played Mill Race in awhile, give it a whirl.

Pauline (Brown) Phillips, 76, (July 30, 1927-August 14, 2003), 1342 Old Tioga Turnpike, Cambra, died Thursday at home. She was born in Auburndale, FL, a daughter of the late Ary and Pearl (Williams) Brown and graduated from Gainesville High School in 1945. She was postmaster of the Cambra Post Office from 1956 to 1982 and assisted her husband with the James C. Phillips Funeral Home from 1951 to 1957. In later years, she also assisted her husband, James "Jim" Phillips, with their realty and stock broker businesses. She was a member of the Town Hill United Methodist Church. Her husband of 55 years died July 12, 2003. She was also preceded in death by three brothers: Ray Brown, Charles Brown and Woodrow Brown. Surviving are a daughter, Ceib L. Phillips, Hillsborough, NC; two grandchildren; two sisters: Myrtis Selser, Interlachen, FL; and Shirley Szczepanski, Las Vegas. Private graveside services will be held at Pine Grove Cemetery, Harveyville. A joint memorial service will be conducted for both Mr. and Mrs. Phillips on 2 PM Saturday, Sept. 20, at Town Hill United Methodist Church under the direction of the McMichael Funeral Home, Benton.

We'll tell you in a moment about a happy event happening today in the town of Cambra, a stopping place on the old Susquehanna & Tioga Turnpike. We'll give you a broad hint: it has to do with the very successful wife of James "Ivory Knuckles" McHenry. While you're thinking of what that might be, we'll continue with related matters...

We'll first tell you that we get frequent questions as to why that turnpike is from time to time referred to as the Tioga Turnpike or the Berwick Turnpike. It is the same turnpike. It was the custom of the times to refer to the turnpike by the name of the end destination. In other words, if one were on the Berwick end heading toward New York state, it would be referred to as the Tioga Turnpike. On the other hand, if you were in Towanda, heading toward Cambra, it would probably have been referred to as the Berwick Turnpike.

Other turnpikes in the area included...
• the "Nanticoke and Hughsville Turnpike" which ran from Nanticoke Falls in Luzerne County to "Hughsville" in Lycoming County. The charter for this road was granted April 1, 1836.
• The Union Turnpike, formed in 1875 and chartered a year later to permit the parent company to extend its road from Shickshinny through Huntington Township to Fairmount Springs. We will point out that this turnpike is today incorrectly labeled at places in the Shickshinny and Huntington Mills areas on official Government signs. We also point out that this may not be the first mistake that the Government ever made.

We were pleased that Grace Stowe recently received a very nice birthday present from an old friend, after the friend saw that Grace was having a birthday by reading it on the Benton News. And the following article came about because Robin McCourt let us know about an event that happens in Cambra today.

Today, August 16, is Avis Young McHenry's last day of work at the Cambra Post Office. If you get a chance between 9 and 3, stop and wish her all the very best in her new and retired career.

The old Tioga turnpike passed through Huntington Township and through the town of Cambra, in fact passed directly in front of the old post office. The town was often a stop on the trip between Berwick and what is now Elmira, New York. The stagecoach ride between Berwick and Towanda was long and tiresome on the poorly constructed road first commercially traveled in 1812—over 180 years ago.

In 1893, the Cambra post office (an old way of saying "Cambra") was advertised as having two stores, a hotel with no license to serve alcohol, a wagon and a blacksmith shop. The daily stagecoach stopped running about 1840 and five years later it was abandoned as a toll road through the Cambra area.

After retirement, Avis plans to do some "house fixing," go to Texas to see her sister and to Florida to see her brother, "do some crosswords," and finish her sewing.

Judy McHenry takes over the job of OIC, Officer in Charge, of the Cambra Post Office Monday morning. There is a risk that the post office will be consolidated with the one in Huntington Mills, but everyone in the Cambra area hopes that the post office remains in town as it has since 1822.

Avis will now get her name on the list of the retired post masters of the town of Cambra, joining wonderful people like Pauline Phillips. Take a look at the list which proudly hangs by the front door of the post office.

Quote of the Day:
"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate."
--Julia Child

The Little League World Series opens in Williamsport today. August 15, 1945, was proclaimed "V-J Day" by the Allies, a day after Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally.

It seemeth strange that officials Friday morning have not pinpointed the cause of the power disruption that cascaded through New York state, into Connecticut, as far south as New Jersey, as far west as Ohio and in several major locations in Canada. Nine nuclear power reactors were shut down because of the loss of offsite power. Portions of northwestern Pennsylvania in Erie, Crawford, Venango, McKean and Forest Counties were affected, but by late Thursday night power had been restored to those counties. Although definitely not a funny situation, one writer suggested that the cause was the five hundred-plus TV sound trucks trailing California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It is very important that you check the Microsoft Security site regularly for the most recent news.

If you have been infected by the Blaster worm, Symantec Security Response has developed a removal tool at to clean MSBlaster infections. Read the directions on the website before you run the tool, and download the Microsoft patch to prevent future infections.

Researchers in economic history—people who wonder, for example, what the value of a dollar was in 1895 or what the GDP was in 1929—should head over to http://eh.net/ehresources/ .

Didja know...in the building at the south corner of Center and Main streets, Guy Miller once had a barber shop and Charles Johnson operated a silent movie theatre in the teen years of the 1900s? Bert Karns and Lee Kessler had a 12,000-egg capacity, hot water heated hatchery in the basement as part of a feed and accessory store that sold brooders and other equipment for raising baby chicks. Burr Appleman acquired the building in 1920 along with Bert Karns' share of the hatchery. He opened a restaurant on the first floor that ran until the early 1940's. In the mid-1920's Alvin Sutliff took over the hatchery share of Lee Kessler and he and Appleman continued to operate the hatchery until the mid-1930's. Following World War II it was converted into apartments.

Google just keeps getting better and better! Google now has a built-in calculator function. Enter the expression you'd like evaluated in the search box and hit the Enter key or click the Google Search button. The calculator can evaluate mathematical expressions involving basic arithmetic (5+2*2 or 2^20), more complicated math (sine(30 degrees) or e^(i pi)+1), units of measure and conversions (100 miles in kilometers or 160 pounds * 4000 feet in Calories), and physical constants (1 a.u./c or G*mass of earth/radius of earth^2). You can also experiment with other numbering systems, including hexadecimal and binary.

There is a very positive article in the August 2003 issue of the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Magazine about Fishing Creek. Copies are free and they are available at Benton Sports Center, Fishing Creek Anglers, and Morning Dew Anglers. Jerry Stercho wrote the article. He and his son, Jon, fished with Lee and Matt Gaul of Fishing Creek Anglers for two days in late June. The article listed various organizations working to improve the area including the Fishing Creek Sportsmen' Association, Columbia County Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and Fishing Creek Watershed Association. The author listed other activities and recreational areas that abound in our area. Stop at one of the above locations, look over the merchandise and pick up a copy of the magazine.

Hardware is defined as the parts of a computer that can be kicked.

Having trouble spelling? There were nearly six million words in 950 dictionaries at http://onelook.com/ . We have added it to the side panel so that you can find it quickly in the future.

A book getting good reviews is Hiking the Endless Mountains, Exploring the Wilderness of Northeastern Pennsylvania, by Jeff Mitchell Stackpole. 164 pp. $12.95. As we all know, "Endless Mountains" is the nickname given to the area made up of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. One of the longest hikes mentioned in the book runs eight miles along the Old Bulldozer Road Trail in Ricketts Glen State Park, is of moderate difficulty and takes about four hours.

Grace Stowe celebrates her birthday today and she shares the day with humorist Steve Martin, born in Waco, Texas in 1945, and with the man who wrote one great poem and then quit: Ernest Thayer, born in 1863. The baseball poem "Casey at the Bat," published in the San Francisco Examiner in 1888 was it! Later he worked on a book of philosophy but he never published it. We betcha you haven't read the poem in a few years. You can at http://anahbell.tripod.com/anahbelljustme/id4.html .

The world is filled with a lot of relatives of Nigerian heads of state, all of whom would just love to smuggle millions of dollars out of their country, if we would only give them their bank account information and pay a small processing fee.

The Library of Congress has a web site that provides primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items. It will take up a lot of your time, but give it a whirl.

Monty's dining hall at Bloomsburg University was demolished during the summer and a bigger and better Monty's is scheduled to open in the fall of 2004. The new Monty's will be approximately 15,000 square feet with seating for 300 in the dining area, and will have an outside patio and a student lounge. The price tag is $4 million.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports this morning that "there is a freshman in Happy Valley who might be the most promising running back from Pennsylvania since Tony Dorsett." His name is Austin Scott, and he comes from Parkland High School in Allentown. The paper reports that he is 6-foot, 214 pounds, and the "only way any of his high school opponents could get their hands on him was after he ran out of breath." In his senior year, he logged 3,853 yards rushing, the fourth-highest total ever. He scored 53 touchdowns, gathered 318 points and averaged 10.9 yards a carry—good for a first down just about every time he was given the ball. He wears No. 22, same as John Cappelletti, Penn State's only Heisman Trophy winner.

About 100 workers at the HV Wood Products, Hughesville, will be out of a job by the end of September. The company says the poor economy is forcing the closure of the plant.

Coming up in the next week on this web site: some photos of the large hotel-like structure once attached to the Ricketts stone house at Ganoga Lake, an improved report on the events taking place at the North Mountain Historical Society, a pictorial review of a local 2,000 piece arrowhead collection, a couple more articles on Robert Bruce Ricketts, a look at the conditions under our route 487 bridge beside the Sub Shop, and a status report on the Benton High School construction.

U.S. shoppers spent freely in July, fueling the biggest advance in retail sales in four months and bolstering hopes that better days lie ahead for the world's largest economy.

We talked at the mall with a couple holding hands as they were walked. We commented on how romantic it was and the man explained to us that "We have been holding hands when we go out in public for over thirty years. I have to. If I let go, she shops."

The president's overall job approval rating appears to be in the mid-to high-fifties, depending on whose poll one reads and depending on whether one believes any polls, and is about 11 to 15 points below the 69% that the first President Bush had in Gallup polling at this point in his presidency. That poll figure is much better than the 43% that President Ronald Reagan had in August 1983, the 46% that President Bill Clinton had in August 1995 and the 49% that President Richard Nixon had in August 1971 and President Jimmy Carter's 32% approval rating in August, 1979.

We added this picture to cool you down. The setting is the west side of the former Pied Piper Restaurant, Maple Grove, with the O. B. Savage barn in the background. The year is either 1968 or 1969. Kermit Karns was responsible.

A water hose with a spray nozzle over a tripod frame was all that it took to support the tower. Lights inside the ice structure were beautiful at night, and food coloring spilled from a ladder provided unusual colorations inside the structure. As the weather turned warmer, the structure proved to be unstable and dangerous.

On this date in 1961, East Germany sealed off the border between Berlin's eastern and western sectors to halt the flight of refugees. Germany divided at the end of World War II: East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union and West Germany was controlled by a democratic Government. Although Berlin city lay inside East Germany, control of half the city was under West Germany control. People living in Communist countries in Eastern Europe could get into West Berlin, and could then escape to West Germany and between 1949 and 1961, an estimated 2.5 million people left East Germany through this route. To stop the flight of skilled labor, the East Germany government built the Berlin wall. A cinder block and barbed wire wall was started at 2 AM on this day in 1961 and came to symbolize the Cold War's division of Eastern Europe from Western Europe. Between 1961 and 1989, almost two hundred people were killed trying to cross the wall. The wall finally came down in 1989, and a spray-painted message on the wall scrolled, "They came, they saw, they did a little shopping."

It is the time of the year when we love to eat peaches. Some knowledgeable people tell us that peaches should be only the slightest bit soft when you buy them. Too soft = too ripe. The skin should have no green, only yellow-orange with red smudges. Green peaches will not ripen properly. Any bruises on the surface are hiding larger bruises inside.

Thanks to the Farmer's Almanac, here is some folklore for you...
• When spiders build new webs, the weather will be clear.
• Lightning in summer indicates good, healthy weather.
• The sunflower raising its head indicates rain.
• If watercress beds steam on a summer evening, the next day will be hot.
• Listen for the sound of the first cicadas. The first frost of the year will occur about three months later.
• An open anthill indicates good weather; A closed one, an approaching storm.
• Dust rising in dry weather is a sign of an approaching change.

Poem of the Day:
Sweet, sweet, sweet,
Is the wind's song,
Astir in the rippled wheat
All day long.
--Ellen M. H. Cortissoz

Word of the day: "Boondocks."
People who live in the boondocks come from rural places, far from the big city. But boondocks can also be a densely vegetated place like the jungle, and places like the jungle are often referred to as the boonies. Both words are slang and always plural. The word did not come from Daniel Boone, but from the South Pacific. It entered English from the language spoken in the Philippines, Tagalog. Locals there referred to the back-country as bundok (mountains), and American soldiers dreaded the marches through those areas. Soldiers brought the word back home with them, and it is now applied to any wild, remote area.

We have dined out several times recently, and some observations come to mind and are offered with the utmost respect to waiters and waitresses and to the jobs they perform. The following comments are intended as constructive criticism, but will undoubtedly get us in a lot of trouble nevertheless.
• When we enter your restaurant, please do not address the group we are with as "guys," unless we have a "Lombardo," a "Wire," or a "Beishline" in our midst. And likewise please do not address us as "yous" or "youse," since we am not sure how to even spell the word. And if I am alone, please don't yell out a question as to whether or not I am dining alone, since I really don't want anyone to know that I am forced for the evening to dine by myself.
• When I am being seating in an partially filled restaurant, please don't seat me beside a crowded table or one with cranky children and please don't ask if I know the Petroski's from Pottsville—I probably don't even know where Pottsville is.
• When you approach our table for the first time, please do not start by telling us the specials. Make the people at the table feel special by saying hello and then say something that the group will appreciate. Don't tell us that we have had six straight days of heat and humidity; we are in the restaurant to escape from the weather.
• Please try to serve the food in the proper order, salads in the beginning of the meal, thank you. Everyone at our table should be served at the same time. Please don't ask if we have always applied horseradish to our lima beans. We haven't always done anything!
• If we are chewing or talking, please do not expect a rational, intelligible answer to your question as to when the rain will end.
• Drink refills should have a refill of ice and should not be crammed to the brim. By the time we get to the second drink, we tend to spill more than on the first drink, especially if hops are involved.
• Please do not bring the check before we ask for it. We often ask for coffee as an afterthought, and we hate messy checks that read like they are for some sort of prescription.
• Assume that we do want the change from the money given you at the end of the meal. If the bill is $21. and you are presented with two twenties, then yes, indeed, we want change.

If you are a subscriber of EPIX, you got an urgent email yesterday about a new virus spreading across the Internet. If you did not get such an email, go here and take the appropriate action.

If you are reading this paragraph and ignored the last paragraph, please return to the previous paragraph and take appropriate action. The latest Internet attack on Microsoft operating systems by rogue software disabled tens of thousands of computers worldwide on Tuesday, though a fix had been available for nearly a month. The virus-like worm, was dubbed "LovSan" or "blaster."

Quote of the Day:
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.
-- Benjamin Disraeli

The Borough of Benton has been lucky in terms of rainfall this week. On Monday, for example, a downpour of 3.69 inches of rain was the second-highest rainfall total for one day ever in August at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. Two miles from Benton, up West Creek, two inches were reported. Benton Borough escaped both of those downfalls, although the area did have some near drownings: three Danville boys clinging to a dog leash were rescued from a canal that flows through the borough and a local man had a very close call at the Benton dam. Our sympathy is extended to everyone experiencing flooding: water damage "is a standard exclusion" in a homeowner's policy.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education issued its 2003 "Academic Achievement Report" yesterday. It is a listing of every public school in the Commonwealth and a measurement of how each is meeting key educational goals. Check your school or school district and gauge its results by going to the Department of Education website and click on the button marked "New," "Pennsylvania's Accountability System," and follow the prompts.

These three Bentonians represented a combined span of 303 years.

This picture was taken at the Bonham Nursing Home, Register, in 1996.

Country singer Porter Wagoner is 76 and singer-musician Buck Owens is 74 today. It's also the birthday in 1889 of Dick and Jane's Momma, a beautiful and highly intelligent woman by the name of Zerna Sharp, who taught children how to read by using pictures and repetition. Dr. William Gray agreed with her ideas and hired her to create a series of textbooks employing the characters Dick, Jane, their sister Sally, their dog Spot, and their cat Puff. Each story introduced five new words on each page. The books were used in elementary schools from the 1930s to 1972. In 1960, as an example, they were used by 85% of all elementary schools in the United States. The character's clothing changed through the years to correspond with current styles portrayed in mail order catalogs, mostly Sears Roebucks catalogs.

Benton had its share of excitement Monday night about 6:50 as a Maple Grove resident fell from the breast of the dam and was swept under a tree that was partially impaled on the dam as a result of the high waters.

Zach Damron,18, and some of his friends were attempting to walk across the top of the dam when he apparently slipped down the six-foot spillway onto the concrete floor of the dam, then washed under a 15-inch thick tree. He became wedged under the tree and remained there for at least 20 minutes with the rapidly moving waters racing over his body and frequently over his head. Zach was supported in the water by Billy Parks, who had been riding by on his bike when he saw the accident unfolding. Billy jumped in the water and held Zach until the Benton Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the east side of Fishing Creek, but then Zach's grip became too weak and he washed under the tree and out the bottom, bobbing as his almost lifeless body floated down the creek. Several onlookers dove into the water to rescue him and just before going under the route 487 bridge near the Hoboken Sub Shop, he was pulled from the water by Tim Reabuck, 33, Orangeville. Damron was unresponsive and had no feeling in his legs or arms when he was removed from the creek, but was released by Geisinger Medical Center late last night. Others who ended up in the water trying to save the injured man included Kyle Piaett, Derek Harrington, Darron and D. J. Albertson.

We suspect that some bureaucrat in Harrisburg will use this incident in a new attempt to keep us off our dam.

You can read a full account of this story in the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise.

Fireman team up to pull the injured man out of Fishing Creek.

Damron entered
Fishing Creek at the east side of the Benton dam and was pulled from the water on the west side of the creek at the route 239 bridge.

A CNN/USA Today poll by Gallup finds that 42% of the respondents in California say there is a "good chance" they would vote for Schwarzenegger. And the man's qualifications for an office of that importance are what?

The Royal Order of Raccoons, Jamison City, could use your financial help Thursday through Saturday as they raffle a patio set at the North Mountain carnival. And have we mentioned that the North Mountain folks have great strawberry ice cream?

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) provided $454,047 of funds and $93,531 of housing tax credits to finance the development of 11 one-bedroom units for persons 62 and older now under construction on a 1.1 acre site located at Two and One Half Street in Benton Borough. The project is called Benton Manor. PHFA committed the funding to the Columbia County Housing Corporation of Bloomsburg, the sponsor. Larson Design Group of Williamsport is the architect, Grimm Construction, Inc., of Waymart is the general contractor for building the complex, with management services being provided by the Columbia County Housing Authority and supportive services being made available through the Columbia Montour Home Health Services/Visiting Nurses Association.

Three one-story buildings estimated to total 9,630 square feet, including 1,182 square feet of community space, will house the apartments. One unit will be equipped for persons with mobility impairments and one unit will be designed for persons with hearing or vision impairments.

Benton Manor will be the only affordable housing option in the local area available to low and moderate income persons over the age of 62.

In addition to the financing being provided by PHFA, $60,000 came from a Columbia County Act 137 Housing Trust Fund loan. Also, First National Bank of Berwick and First Columbia Bank and Trust helped with an equity contribution of $533,887 from the proceeds of a tax credit syndication. The Benton Elderly complex will cost about $1,048,00.

Quote of the Day:
"What we do on the land is mirrored in the water."
--Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority.

Anna Raski Baker is having heart surgery Friday. Anna asks, "If you have any extra prayers, please send them my way!"

There was a local lady named Green,
Who grew so abnormally lean,
Her stomach and rump were so compressed,
That her back touched her chest,
And sideways she couldn't be seen.

Penn State wrestling took a turn for the better Monday with the addition of Nittany Lion NCAA champion John Hughes to the wrestling program as an coaching assistant. Hughes is a three-time All-American and 1995 NCAA Champion (142) at Penn State.

He earned a bachelor's degree in landscape contracting from Penn State in 2002 and served as the head coach for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club since 2001. He also has served as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club (2000-2001) and worked as an environmental technician for Groundwater and Environmental Services, Inc.

Hughes ranks among the most successful wrestlers in the long history of Pennsylvania wrestling, including the Benton High School and Penn State program. He won four PIAA State Championships at Benton High School, becoming the seventh wrestler to accomplish the feat in state history.

From L, John Hughes, Bryan Wenner, Tom Yurko and Russ Hughes pose following a 1989 competition. John Hughes won four PIAA titles, his brother Russ and Yurko won two and Wenner won one.

He went on to become one of 17 men to earn All-America honors three or more times at Penn State, reaching the NCAA finals twice during his career. He competed in four NCAA Tournaments helping Penn State to four top five team finishes, including third place finishes in 1992 and 1994. Hughes won a Big Ten Championship in 1995 and ranks seventh all-time at Penn State with 121 wins. He also won a gold medal at the 1994 Pan Am Games and was a 1994 University Freestyle National Champion.

He is a twin son of John and Fanna (Tucker) Hughes, Bendertown, a 1991 graduate of Benton High School, a recent bridegroom and the owner of a new home in State College. John's twin brother, Russell, lives in Hanover, MD, and was inducted into the state wrestling hall of fame in 2003, following brother John's induction the previous year.

August 11, 2003. The Dog Days of Summer end today. The Dog Days normally start July 3 and end August 11. The unusual name comes from the Dog Star, Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major. This star starts shining brightly at this time of year, rising in the east at about the same time as the Sun. The ancient Egyptians thought that the star was responsible for the heat and blamed it for any droughts, sickness, and discomfort that occurred.

Tonight is when you can see the Green Corn Moon, the full moon for August. This full moon is also sometimes called the Grain Moon or the Red Full Moon. To learn more about this subject and to verify that 15 years from now we will have a year with no full moon, turn to http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/FullMoon.html .

We celebrate Jay and Susan McHenry's anniversary today. Rod Deitrick, writing from vacation in Denver, corrected our August 9 mention of his birthday. Actually, brother Doug Deitrick, Milton celebrated his 47th birthday on the 9th. We apologize for the mistake.

SPC Kurt Hornstra is home until Thursday from Kuwait and Iraq and Eric Jost is home on a short vacation from the Marine Corps. Both look like military service is agreeing with them. Kurt recently had some excitement when he was attached by a Cavalier. On his drive home from Texas to see parents Joe and Lorraine Feola, he blew a tire in Texas while driving his Cavalier.

The Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees were picked to slug it out from October 7-9. Games would begin at 10 AM each morning and would finish in time for the afternoon horse racing. No guarantees were made that the fans would see the major players for each team even if they were advertised to appear. Heinie Manush did show up for the Tigers, but Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb did not. Lou Gehrig was promised for the Yankees, but he didn't even come to Bloomsburg. Babe Ruth was not scheduled, but outfielders Bob Meusel and Earle Combs and pitchers Bob Shawkey and Herb Pennock showed up.

It rained on the 9th and the game was not played, but the teams played on the two previous days. Only a few players regularly started for either team, and the Yankees were so shorthanded they even had to play two minor leaguers who would never play in the major leagues. The Yankees won one game 7-6 and Detroit won the other 7-5 in twelve innings. The two games drew an estimated 18,000 fans, and grandstand seats went for $1.00 each.

Didja know that baseball is mentioned in the bible? You know, "In the big inning..."

As we smeared our sweet corn with margarine yesterday afternoon, we took the time to read up on butter and on margarine. We recommend that you dig into the subject in more detail, but generally we found that margarine can increase the risk of heart disease, depending upon the type of fat contained in the spread. Butter comes with its own set of dietary problems, but it does not contain trans fat. Several studies have linked early death and consumption of foods high in trans fat, like cookies, potato chips, and baked products. By the year 2006, all food labels must disclose how much trans fat products contain. Consumers should be wary of any foodstuff that makes mention of containing "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" ingredients.

The only Pennsylvanian ever to serve as President of the United States was best remembered as the President who preceded Abraham Lincoln, the country's only bachelor President, and the man who presided over the country when the dreadful Dred Scott decision was handed down by the Supreme Court. The Dred Scott decision, as we remember it, essentially held that slaves had no rights even on free soil. We are talking about Lancaster native James Buchanan, whose home city picked a street to name after him that began where Lemon Street ended! A bachelor would make Washington tongues wag, but Buchanan went just a bit farther since he shared a room for several years with William King, a Senator from Alabama, who died while serving as Vice President of the United States under Franklin Pierce.

On the mend...
• Carmen Dennis, in the Geisinger Hospital.
• Ruth Kline, in the Bloomsburg Hospital.
• Jean Dietrich, in the Orangeville Rehabilition Center.
• Fred DePoe, undergoing a stress test.

We love to talk about our local turnpike, the Susquehanna and Tioga Turnpike, which was a youngster compared to the country's first toll road—the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike—which dates to 1795.

Didja know that Pennsylvania still has one privately owned bridge that still charges a toll? The bridge at Dingmans Ferry on the Delaware is owned by Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company and recalls a time when private bridges and roads were common. From 1735, there has always been either a ferry or a bridge at this location. Andrew Dingman (1711-1801), a descendant of Dutch settlers, named his settlement Dingmans Choice. In 1836, the Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company built the first bridge over the river, but the bridge washed away in 1847. A second bridge, built in 1850, washed away in 1863. In 1868, the post office opened under the name Dingmans Ferry. The fourth bridge is the one you see today, known in part for the rumbling sounds it makes with traffic, the floorboards held in place with anchor plates and collar nails.

August 10, 2003. Today Jeremy Griffith, Berwick, turns 19, and in Camp Hill, Marcia Worley celebrates her birthday.

Ruth Kline was readmitted to the Bloomsburg Hospital late Saturday night.

On this day in 1833, Chicago was incorporated as a village with a population of fewer than 200 people.

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson met on this date back in 1776 to come up with a design for the Great Seal of the United States. They chose a motto E Pluribus Unum, meaning "Out of Many, One," but Congress rejected it and then six years later accepted it.

The area experienced severe weather yesterday. In Benton Borough, little rain fell yesterday, while a few miles away up West Creek, two inches fell yesterday afternoon. A storm dumped three inches of rain in 90 minutes in Bradford County Saturday afternoon between noon and 1:30 and flooded roads in Towanda and basements in Monroeton. A total of 13.2 inches of rain fell in the Towanda area from June 1 to August 9, the most for that period since 1923.

Google has released a free news service, called Google News Alerts. A simple form (www.google.com/newsalerts) lets you create a search query—up to 50 per e-mail address—and have links to related stories sent to that address, either once a day or as each article appears in Google's index.

Didja know that during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress issued a three-dollar bill with the motto Exitus in Dubio Est, which translates to "The Outcome Is in Doubt."

Town Names: Shamokin
We are talking about the location of the present town of Sunbury, the Indian village known at one time as Shamokin. The name is thought to be a corruption of "Schahamoki" or "the place of eels." As a center of Indian affairs, the town was the largest and most important village in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1756. Many paths originated or terminated from this point, including those that went up the West Branch of the Susquehanna, Pike Creek, Lycoming Creek, Muncy Creek and along the Bald Eagle Creek.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission says that hunters killed about 44,526 gobblers last spring, which is a decrease of 4,660 from 2001. That seems like a substantial drop, but hunters set a new spring harvest record of 49,186 gobblers in 2001, and any record is difficult to beat.

If you are reading a web page in your office and suddenly unwanted music comes up, you can instantly get rid of the background music—and also annoying animated gifs—by simply hitting the Escape key (Esc).

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is seeking public comment on a natural resource management plan for Ricketts Glen State Park. DCNR staff will be available to discuss the plan on Tuesday, August 19, from 6:30-8 PM at the Ricketts Glen State Park Office, 695 State Route 487, Benton. Bureau of State Parks staff will discuss the proposals, answer questions, and record comments from visitors. One of the topics for discussion is the proposed opening of an additional 1,144 acres of state parkland. You can see a copy of the Ricketts Glen draft resource management plan at the Benton Post Office, 250 Third Street.

John came on a sailing ship charted by James Clinton, father of DeWitt Clinton, the first Governor of New York state. He remained loyal to the Clinton family after his arrival in this country in 1739, accompanying James Clinton at the age of 16 on an expedition into the Mohawk Valley to trade with the Indians. John, an expert hunter and trapper, was very successful in trading with the Indians.

John's cousin, Susannah McNeil, emigrated to America at the same time as John and in 1750 they married. They settled along the Hudson River at what was then known as "Lime Kiln" in Orange County, New York. It was there that their nine children were born. John taught each of his sons to read and write. He participated in running of the Colony, and served as a Major in the First New York Battalion during the French and Indian War.

In 1773, the family came to Pennsylvania by way of New Jersey and settled along Chillisquaque Creek in Northumberland County. The family built three log cabins and started cultivating land. Just after the Wyoming Massacre in 1778, the McHenry's fled to Fort Augusta at Sunbury, and he, his wife and his younger children did not return to their war-ravished home on the West Branch of the Susquehanna until the Indians were defeated and driven out of Central Pennsylvania by the army under the command of General Sullivan.

John died in 1801 at Chillisquaque and was buried in the Chillisquaque Presbyterian Graveyard near Pottsgrove. Susannah died 11 years later and is buried in St. Gabriel's Cemetery.

Today and tonight, don't forget the Cambra yard sales; 33rd Arts & Crafts Festival, on the Village Greene, Eagles Mere. 10 AM-5 PM. Adults, $5; children under 16 free; the enlarged Masonic festival in Orangeville; and the North Mountain Carnival.

On this date in 1945, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.

The Guv and his top lawmakers continue to craft a budget compromise behind closed doors, while many Pennsylvanians believe vacationing members of the state Legislature should be called back to the Capitol and end the budget stalemate. Regardless of the way we get a state budget, we encourage people to send in their pledges for the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center soon. As soon as the state has a budget, we will be contacting our legislators for grant approved. The more money we have pledged, the better it will be for us in showing how committed our community is. Please fill out your pledge card now and return it as soon as possible. Since our last report, another pledge for $20,000 came in and eight more arrived this week. To make the area goal, we need your help now.

It isn't just any day that a family living thousands of miles apart can get everyone together. It happened last Sunday at the Painter Den clam bake when the family of James Shultz Edson and now-deceased Lillian Yost Edson gathered to greet old friends and catch up on the events of the past years. There were 32 from the Edson family attending, including:
1. Lynn Edson Davis, Hatboro, PA. Lynn is a counselor in the middle school in Hatboro, PA. She has one daughter, Amanda Davis, a high school senior. They live in Horsham, PA.
2. Jean Lee Edson Vick, Ingnacio, CO, married to Richard Vick, an architect and structural engineer in Durango, CO. Jean Lee is a medical secretary in Durango. Jean Lee and Richard have two children, Laine Vick, a freshman in college in Colorado, and Alicia Vick, a freshman in college in Colorado.
3. Jamie Edson Daniels, an LPN for a doctor in Golden, CO. She is married to Michael Daniels, a sanitary engineer in Denver. Their children are Emily Daniels Harrington, Joshua Daniels, and Jared Harrington. They live in Golden, CO.
4. Sue Edson Fields, Danville, a registered nurse working in the operating room at Geisinger Hospital. Their children are Aaron Fields, a forest ranger at Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico; Gage Fields, Albuquerque; Lora Fields Glenn, working for Campel Productions, and married to Luke Glenn.
5. Frank Yost Edson, Benton, a power system representative for Cleveland Brothers, married to Barbara W. Edson, Assistant at the Stillwater Christian Church. Their children are Carrie Edson Flynn, Petty Officer, 3rd class, USN, Norfolk, married to Dennis Flynn, USN, Petty Officer, 2nd class, their daughter is Sadie Ann Flynn, 2; Sara Edson, a graduate student in Michigan State University; Jesse Edson, landscaper; Dylon Edson, a junior in high school.
6. Lisa Edson Daly, Fayetteville, GA, a stay-at-home Mother, married to Craig Daly, a procurement officer with the U. S. Army. Their children are Alexander and Taylor.
7. Phillip Edson, Benton, an electrician project manager with K. C. Larson. Married to Laurie Rodman Edson, a secretary with the Millville School District. Their children are Ardon Diltz, Pike's Creek Construction; Shannon Edson, attending high school in Durango; Collin Edson, 12, at home, student; Hunter Edson, 10, at home, student.

Market Street in Benton last night reminded us of the following story. A pair of jumper cables walked into a bar and ordered a drink. The bartender, said, "OK, I'll serve you, but don't start anything." We suspect that we started something when we wrote about the deplorable condition of several houses in town. We received 42 emails of support and a number of people told us horror stories. For example, in one house on Market Street people live in the attic and one house on Market Street has no railing on the front porch, and several houses in town have accumulated debris in the yards, and a number of houses don't have gutters and downspouts and spill their water runoff into neighboring basements. And we haven't even mentioned the trailer court yet!

According to a state Department of Transportation study, traffic on Routes 11-15 around Hummels Wharf and Shamokin Dam will exceed 80,000 vehicles a day by 2020. Obviously a bypass is needed, since last year traffic on stretches through Shamokin Dam occasionally exceeded 50,000 vehicles a day, of which an estimated 5,000 vehicles were commercial trucks. The proposed $380 million Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway appears to solve the traffic problems. It certainly is moving slowly though.

Many readers never heard of Columbia Park, located midway between Bloomsburg and Berwick. The park at one time was operated by the North Branch Transit Company for the amusement of its patrons.

The Ford Motor Company, the world's second-largest automaker by sales, yesterday recalled more than 1.68 million Explorer, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac and Mercury Mountaineer from 1998 through 2002, to order to fix speed-control cables and seat-frame bolts.

We also have some youngsters to mention in the birthday department. William Mather, former postmaster of Benton from January 31, 1958, until Gary Strauch took over August 20, 1983, is 84 today. Terry Griffith is 60 and Rod Pennington is 47.

Now that we have been reasonably nice in our opening remarks we get down and dirty with the people who buy local property at knock-down prices, spend little or nothing to bring the property to acceptable levels of human occupancy, then seek out rent payments from the public purse to cover the cost of buying.

Most private landlords are probably good and honest people, but a few in this town are irresponsible money grabbers who care little for their property and less for the neighborhood. We are fed up with houses with no gutters or downspouts, where water pours into adjacent basements, houses where exterior repairs are made by slapping up a 4x8 sheet of plywood, of accumulated debris, of creating boarding houses where tenants are forced to sleep on the floor and urinate outside the house because of the lack of bathrooms inside the house.

We believe...
• A more conscientious attempt to improve the housing conditions in the Borough of Benton should be undertaken by all residents including town council, tenants and owners and led by Town Council.
• Existing ordinances should be enforced, or, if not an effective and needed ordinance, disposed of.
• Owners of rental property should be required to apply for an occupancy license, which town council can refuse if properties are not kept to an acceptable community level. It is time to clamp down on the minority who don't play by the rules. The attitude of some owners means some tenants are putting up with poor conditions in unsafe, overcrowded properties, and neighboring properties suffer from the blight caused by these landlords.
• Landlords should face prosecution and fines if they fail to meet rigorous standards of safety and quality established as a norm for the community. Good landlords would have nothing to fear from this law, but bad ones should have everything to fear if they do not conform to density standards, maintain fire, safety, toilet and cooking facilities.
• Neighbors should have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes, and problems with noise and rubbish should attain the same level of attention as other infractions of the law.
• Landlords not complying with the same standards for payment of taxes and water assessments as the general population should have their occupancy permits revoked.
• Density standards should be developed and enforced.

We recommend...
• Tenants with landlord problems make every effort to resolve them with the landlord. Landlords with tenant problems should make every effort to resolve them with the tenant.
• A review of county and town zoning requirements, looking at compliance issues.
• Naming a zoning administrator with available time and authority to deal with zoning problems.
• Consider an occupancy permit requirement for new tenancy.

Please let us know what you think and recommend.

We try to include a little slice of American history in each version of the Benton News, simply because if we don't we get cut and diced by readers who enjoy the subject of history. If you like American History, try the site at http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/history/toc.htm .

Someone who must check these things reports that one in 30 Pennsylvanians owns an ATV. If the subject of ATVs is of interest to you, hop on over to http://www.paatving.com/ .

Quickies...
• The Bloomsburg Fair Web Site is now updated for the week of September 20-27. Tickets are available for the general public starting August 9. Go to http://www.bloomsburgfair.com/ .
• We like the new on-line format of the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise.
Check it out at http://www.pressenterpriseonline.com/index.bsp .
• Don't forget that the North Mountain Carnival starts tonight and the Orangeville Masonic Festival begins today. And the Cambra yard sales are Saturday.
• The Benton News will not be published August 8.

We are starting to understand what the residents of Cherrapunji, India, went through in 1861, when 902 inches of rain fell. Rain is in the forecast for each of the next five days as the local flood watch continues.

Term of the Day: "go whole hog."
You can pick your favorite explanation from the following two. The first and more fanciful one is that Moslem priests professed inability to determine which part of the hog they were forbidden to eat by Mohammed's decree. Each tended to exempt that part of the pig that he personally most cherished. A more probably explanation came from seventeenth-century England, where a hog was a shilling and a shilling was worth about what an American dollar is now worth. In those days, a hog was worth a lot and to spend a shilling was to go whole hog.

On this date in 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bomb named "Little Boy" from the Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 bomber, on Hiroshima, Japan, killing an estimated 140,000 people. The second atom bomb fell on Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945. August is also the month when hostilities in World War II came to an end, also in 1945. VJ Day, signifying the end of the world conflict, was declared on August 15, 1945.

Frank is back! Frank Mika, former owner of the Mortgaged Inn, route 487, will open the F.J. Mika Pub 80 in the Buckhorn Mall about August 15 in the former location of Hollywood Brews. The restaurant and lounge is located near the Bon-Ton entrance and features both an inside-the-mall entrance and an outside-the-mall entrance. Frank promises "good food at a reasonable price, the same great taste as at the Mortgaged Inn."

Most of us can use all the help that we can get with basic financial information. Financial concepts are explained in a straightforward and easy-to-understand way. You can even browse the encyclopedia's tutorials to learn more about financial basics.

Have you heard about the two ex-convicts? One of them studies to become a lawyer, and the other decides to go straight.

The Wheeler and Wilson Company was an early pioneer of the American sewing machine industry.
		The company was formed in 1851, and manufactured machines in Watertown, New York. The company moved to Bridgeport, CT, in 1856 and was renamed the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company. They continued in production until they were taken over by the Singer company in 1905.

The history of the events taking place on top of Red Rock Mountain is always interesting. The "Wheeler and Wilson Oil Speculation" from 1865 was an unusual story. A man named Hadley put "oil balls" in a spring on top of Red Rock Mountain. The oil floated on the surface and someone from the Wheeler and Wilson became interested in this phenomena. They financed an estimated $40,000 project to drill for oil and in 1865 and 1866 drilled 2100 ft. at what became Lake Rose and 1900 feet "on the Farm." According to the version of the story that we heard, Hadley departed for Canada and was never caught.

Didja know that the falls on Kitchen's Creek and its branches were discovered by a man and his son about 1865 as they fished down the Pond Branch and reported that they had a hard trip getting around falls on the stream? Some sources say that the Lakes Leigh, Jean and Rose were created during 1905 to 1907 for Electric Power purposes, but the depression of 1907 and the World War killed the project.

The depression of 1907 and the nation's economic health worried banker J. Pierpont Morgan. At midnight on November 4, 1907, with the city's biggest banks beset by runs that had gone on for three weeks, Morgan locked the trust presidents into the West Room of his 36th Street office and by 5 AM they had pledged $25 million to salvage the banks. Morgan did his part by buying Tennessee Coal and Iron, whose dying owner was about to tear Wall Street down by declaring bankruptcy. Morgan sent men to Washington to clear the purchase with President Roosevelt, who actually spent much of the panic period hunting bear in Louisiana.

The popularity of spam filtering of unwanted mail has given birth to a new pastime of poring over deleted mail to find useable email. We use spam filtering twice before incoming email gets to our inbox—and some spam still gets through. EPIX will gladly turn on a spam filtering system that catches huge quantities of spam, and Microsoft Outlook further combs through incoming email for what it feels is spam. Then we have to eventually look over the EPIX and the Outlook spam-filtered email in a final attempt to make sure the good stuff is seen. A real pain...

The Jamison City Area Centennial Plate Collection was made available in 1989, manufactured by Wood Studios, P.O. Box 285, Danville PA 17821. There were only 100 of the plates made. A reader broke his plate last night and would like to purchase another. Anyone have one for sale?

A very nice 2 bedroom, one-bath apartment is available at 217 Main Street, Benton. There is a washer-dryer hookup, sky light in the bathroom, in excellent condition. The rent is $400 per month. Call 925-6974.

Today is the birthday of Federal income tax, levied for the first time in 1861. In 1884 on this date, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor. "American Bandstand," hosted by youngster Dick Clark, made its television network debut on ABC in 1957 and in 1962 actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home. The death of Nancy McHenry Devore, Benton, was reported a year-ago today.

We should also note that in 1858, Julia Archibald Holmes became the first woman on record to reach the summit of Pike's Peak. She made the five-day ascent of the 14,110 foot mountain in a short dress, bloomers, moccasins and a hat. Gold discovered in Colorado in 1858 made the phrase "Pike's Peak or Bust" the rallying cry of many young, adventurous men. Katharine Lee Bates's 1893 climb to the top of Pike's Peak inspired her to compose a poem, later set to music as the beloved American hymn, America, the Beautiful. Spencer Penrose built a toll road, completed in 1915, so that automobiles could enjoy a trip to the top of Pike's Peak, too.

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

Rebates and loan deals from Detroit's Big Three automakers swelled to an average of $4,000 per vehicle in July but failed to halt a slide in U.S. market share. GM led the way in incentives, raising its average offer to $4,253 per vehicle, an 8% increase from June and a 37% increase from July 2002.

The 8-acre property setting vacant along route 11/15 in Hummel's Wharf where God's Holiness Grove once sat was sold a year or so ago for development into a Wal-Mart superstore and other retail establishments. The store is coming. We just don't know when.

It's been 30 years since a passenger train traveled from Scranton to the Delaware Water Gap. Regular service on the route stopped in the early 1970s. On August 30, the National Park Service will send a 64-mile historic rail excursion on the Pocono Mainline. The scenic trip will revive part of what was once a regular service between Buffalo and Hoboken, NJ. Riders will see both the railroad's past and future. The excursion will follow the path of a planned commuter rail line linking Scranton and Hoboken. A passenger train last traveled the full 64 miles between Scranton and Delaware Water Gap in 1973. Tickets for the excursion cost $100 for adults, $92 for senior citizens 62 and older and $75 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, call the Steamtown ticket office at 570 340-5204 or 888-693-9391.

The days of ending a chase are over, the days when hunters in pursuit of does had to stop at county lines or run the risk of killing an illegal deer. The Pennsylvania Game Commission yesterday started accepting antlerless license applications under a system that no longer restricts hunters to one of the state's 67 counties. The Game Commission has created 22 Wildlife Management Units using rivers and major highways as borders. Hunters can apply for any unit, each of which spans several counties.

Mike Tyson filed for bankruptcy August 4, claiming that he is unable to pay his bills totaling about $27 million, including the IRS ($13.3 million), a limousine company ($308,749), a Las Vegas jeweler ($173,706), a New York rug store ($78,000), and Ferrari of Beverly Hills ($60,603). Tyson includes in his "tangible assets" two Las Vegas residences, cars, and other property and in his "intangible assets" litigation claims against promoter Don King, Showtime, and other defendants. Oh—and did we mention that he being sued for $20 million by Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight champion, who claims that Tyson breached an agreement to fight him a second time...

The Guv will throw the first pitch at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons baseball game tonight at 6:30 PM.

The Press Enterprise includes an article in today's issue about the silo along Klinger Hill Road that Paul and Pat Langenbach are making into a guest house. The 72-foot silo will be made into a six-floor lighthouse-like building, each floor having 12-foot high ceilings. The first floor will accommodate a living room, a kitchen and dinette will be on the second, bedroom and bathroom on the third level, followed by a library and den.

The top floor of the silo building will be used as an glass-enclosed observation level.

The entrance foyer now under construction features a steep, curved roof that the couple created from the original at Disney World in Orlando. A sweeping road leads to the top of the hill on the 52-acre farm where eventually a 4,000-square-foot replica Pennsylvania stone house will be built and will be used as the primary home of the Langenbachs.

Thought for the day:
"Learn from other's mistakes rather than making them all yourself!"

A restaurant perhaps unknown to many readers of the Benton News will open in October on restaurant row near Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has 8 locations in Pennsylvania and 179 locations in the United States. We guarantee that your kids and grandchildren will soon know the place! Go along with them and see what the excitement is all about.

There is serious money in those woods! National Fuel Gas Co. sold 70,000 acres of timber property in New York's Southern Tier and Pennsylvania to an undisclosed buyer for $186.3 million. The company will record an after-tax gain of $102 million. The timber property is in New York's Allegany County and Pennsylvania's Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter and Venango counties.

The Pennsylvania State Police took delivery yesterday of two new Model A 119 Koala helicopters purchased from Agusta Aerospace Corp., Philadelphia. Each of the new helicopters seats seven persons, including the pilots. Goodies include a global position system (GPS), direction-finding radio and a 30-million candlepower spotlight. Each of the new helicopters cost $2.34 million, with the state police getting $168,000 for a helicopter it traded in. Locally, State Police have aviation units at Hazleton and Montoursville. The State Police also have seven fixed-wing aircraft.

On this date in history...
• In 1792, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in Sussex, England. He died before he was 30 on a sailboat that sank in a storm off the Italian coast. When his body was found, washed up on the shore, in his pocket was a copy of a book of poems by Keats.
• in 1901, jazz musician and Grammy Award-winning singer Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans. He got the nickname Satchmo, short for "Satchel Mouth." He learned the cornet in 1913 when he was sent to a reform school.

In response to reader's questions...
• When surfing the net and you get stuck on a page and there's no X button to click, try the combination of <Alt> F4 keys.
• As relates to which updates you should download, you should always do all critical updates. The Windows updates and driver updates are a matter of personal choice and the saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it" applies. If you do install a driver update and it causes problems, Windows XP allows you to rollback the driver to the previous one.
• The men who worked for the CCC were paid $5 per week for each camper's own use, $25 was sent to his family, back home.

Bumper sticker of the day:
"The older I get, the better I was."

Quickies...
• The average annual cost of nursing home care is now $57,000 according to a survey sponsored by GE Financial.
• The Painter Den Club clambake yesterday was attended by 235 members, family and friends.
• If you want a thing done well, don't do it yourself unless you know how.

Quote of the day:
"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
--Mahatma Gandhi

Do you miss your Mallo Cups? Altoona-based Boyer Candy Co. will resume production this morning and hope to have their creme-filled Mallo Cups and peanut Smoothies back on store shelves by September. Boyer stopped production and the last Mallo Cups were shipped in March. It all began when the company president died following open-heart surgery in 2001 and his former wife tried to oust the chief financial officer. Momma ended up on the opposite side of the issue from her children. Brothers William and R.J. "Bob" Boyer started the company in the 1930s selling candy door-to-door, then sold the business in 1969 to American Maize Products. The company was then sold to a private family in 1984. Mallo Cups are a favorite "old-time" candy and are remembered as turning to syrup when shipped during the heat of the summer.

We were reading about President Coolidge and came across this story that we'll share with you. Some rather rough friends were dining with Coolidge at the White House, and were warned of their table manners before entering the dining room. They decided to do whatever the President did. Things went smoothly until the coffee was served. Coolidge poured a little into his saucer and added a little milk and sugar. The guests did the same. Then the President, not noticing what his guests had done, leaned over and laid his saucer on the floor for his cat.

Investor's Corner...
A Wal-Mart Super Store may be coming, but Bentonians love and support their Dollar Store. Didja know that Dollar General and Family Dollar are breaking ground on new stores this year at a clip of more than one each day? These two companies operate more than 10,000 stores nationwide, twice as many as six years ago. The popularity of the stores is reflected in the number of people who are purchasing basic food needs there rather than from a grocery store or from a more typical discounter, like Wal-Mart. But look who noticed that: Wal-Mart, Kroger and A&P have recently tried installing "dollar" sections in some stores. Dollar stores first popped up after World War II in poor, rural towns that lacked grocery and variety stores and basically were a Southern phenomenon for years. Doing well is not just a recent phenomenon! We remember a Nashville tour bus ride fifteen years ago and seeing (the outside of) the Wal-Mart-sized home of the president of Dollar Stores. Investors shop Dollar Stores, too! The average dollar-store share has risen 34% year-to-date, compared to a 13% rise for the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. If you want to know more, check out Dollar Tree (DLTR ), Family Dollar, Dollar General (DG ), 99 Cents Stores (NDN ) and Wal-Mart (WMT).

On this date...
• in 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, on a voyage that eventually led to the Americas.
• in 1898, Philadelphia received 5.84 inches of rain within two hours and in 2003 thunder boomers are forecast through Thursday of next week.
• in 1900, Ernest Taylor Pyle entered the world in Indiana. Ernie wrote daily letters home from the war front during world war II and they were published in newspapers. As a journalist, Pyle covered about 150,000 miles of the Western Hemisphere, crossing the United States thirty-five times, wearing out three typewriters and three cars. In 1940, Pyle went with Yank troops to Africa, Italy, and France and five years later died of Japanese machine-gun fire on an island near Okinawa.

The 2003 Benton Fireman's Carnival roared to a conclusion last night, with the grand finale the fireman's parade and the celebrating after at the rodeo grounds. We need to mention a lot of things. We'll start with the Carnival Queen, Miss Jessica Green, Benton. Congratulations, Jessica!

There was only one casualty for the night and that was a broken mirror on one of the Benton fire trucks—a genuine accident. A water balloon hit the mirror just right, and that was it!

Carnival chairman Jeff Lynn was very animated in his thanks to the community, to the firemen, to the Benton rodeo and to the area churches that helped dip ice cream. Jeff considered the week a success, thanks to all of the people who helped with the carnival.

And while we are handing out thanks to all of the organizations and people that made the week a success, we might as well pass out the kudos for the various fire companies that participated last night...
• Newest apparatus: North Mountain's Engine 262, a 2003 KME.
• Oldest apparatus in service: Fairmount's 1975 Ward LaFrance.
• Best apparatus from the 1970s: Berwick Eagles Engine 81, a 1976 Mack.
• Best apparatus from the 1980s: Fairmount's Brush truck, a 1983 Lexington.
• Best apparatus from the 1990s: Engine 311, Summerhill's New Lexington 99.
• Best apparatus from the 2000s: Orangeville's Brush truck 285, built in 2001.
• Longest traveled: Chews Landing, New Jersey, 161 miles from Benton via I-80 and I-476.
• Best privately owned fire truck: Bob Baigis, Bloomsburg, a 1964 C Model Mack.
• Best tanker apparatus: Engine 231, Millville.
• Best ambulance: North Mountain's A264.
• The overall best engine: Catawissa's E57.
• The best engine/rescue company: Shickshinny.
• Judge's award, Orangeville's Rescue 286.

Over in Muncy, a draft ordinance is under review and could be adopted in coming weeks that requires teens to be off the streets by 11 PM. There are loopholes in the proposed ordinance for emergencies and those traveling to or from employment and minors accompanied by parents, and for those who are on an errand at the direction of the parent, provided they don't delay, detour or stop. Other exceptions include traveling interstate or intrastate, on sidewalks abutting their residences, attending an official school or religious function, or other activities supervised by adults and/or sponsored and supported by the Borough Council. There are other communities in our area that have similar ordinances. An ordinance similar for Benton Borough probably should be debated as a way of cutting down vandalism in the Benton Town Park and other parts of town, and improving sleepability for Borough residents.

Have you ever tried finding the phone number for the Benton police? Mayor Jan Swan listened to people's complaints about finding the phone number and, at her own expense, had a sign created and posted on the Town Hall that gave the number. Please write the number down, since you just might not be able to drive by the town hall to get it. The number is 925-5432.

Local farmers are not going to have the year that they had in 1994, 1996 and 1997, but the crops are not doing all that badly. Cool weather in April, May and June and heavy spring rains that rotted some seeds and prevented other crops from being planted hurt area farmers this year. If the fall frost holds off until mid-October, many feel they will recover.

Didja know that the CCC camp at Emmons, just north of Elk Grove, with its personnel of a bit under 200 men, won honors as "The Outstanding Camp for Pennsylvania" in 1935?

Verizon telecommunications workers in 13 states and the District of Columbia have a contract that expired at midnight Saturday. Since Verizon is the best choice for local cell-phone use, local residents hope that a strike does not happen. The Washington Post reported this morning that Verizon Communications Inc. and its labor unions continued negotiating beyond a midnight strike deadline on key contract issues such as health care costs and job security.

The excitement is building.

The trucks are in sight.

August 2, 2003. Birthday greetings to State Treasurer Barbara Hafer and to former teacher and now Christmas-tree grower, John Sibley.

On this day...
• In 1754, Pierre Charles L'Enfant was born in Paris. George Washington later asked L'Enfant to design Washington D.C. L'Enfant's design employed long avenues radiating from key points with monuments symbolizing power emanating from a central source, the same principles used for the palace and garden of Versailles.
• in 1876, professional gunman and Army scout "Wild Bill" Hickok, 39, was killed by a shot tothe back of the head in the present town of Deadwood, SD. Wild Bill got plugged by Jack McCall at the No. 10 Saloon, a Smith and Wesson revolver in his holster while holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, what we now call the "dead man's hand." "Wild Bill" at the time was quite famous as a result of touring with Buffalo Bill Cody.
• in 1943, under the command of Lt. John F. Kennedy, PT-109 sank after being rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism, and the Purple Heart for injuries.
• in 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate, an act which escalated into Operation Desert Storm.

From February 8, 1918, to June 13, 1919, the United States Army, by order of General John J. Pershing, published The Stars and Stripes newspaper for its forces in France. The Library of Congress includes the complete seventy-one-week run of the newspaper's World War I edition on their web site at http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/stars/stars.html .

Get ready to break out the smiles. Prairie Home Companion this week is a rebroadcast of the February 1, 2003 show, Garrison's annual joke show. PBS, Saturday and repeated Sunday. Check local listings.

The North Mountain Historical Society will have George Turner as their speaker August 18, 2003. The talk will be on the "Orangeville Civil War Soldiers' Orphan School, 1865-1868." Mark your calendars now!

The Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble concludes their run of Tales from the Arabian Nights August 3. The show is a series of stories told to Shahyrar, King of India, who is caught in the web of an evil spell and inflamed with jealousy by his wife's wanton ways. After executing her, he resolves to take his revenge on all womankind. Night after night he marries some beautiful (and often young) girl, only to order her beheaded the next morning. But at last he meets Scheherazade, the clever daughter of his vizier. Knowing that Shahryar loved a good story, she began on the night of their wedding to spin a bewildering number of yarns which she suspends just as the climax is being reached. Devoured by curiosity to know the end of each story, Shahryar stays the hand of the executioner and after a thousand and one nights is cured of his mania. The story can be traced back as early as the year 944, and is told by BTE well and portrayed beautifully.

The credit for the set design goes to Ellen Lenbergs, daughter of Yvonne Unbewuest Lenbergs of California and the world, and granddaughter of John and Zane Unbewuest, Benton. Ellen has a degree in set design from San Francisco State University and worked in theater and on independent film projects in the Bay Area before moving to Bloomsburg. She designed last summer's Charlotte's Web and this season's Laramie Project for BTE. She continues in pursuit of completion of a series of short films (video) about older people who live in Benton. Ellen spent her summers Back Home in Benton while growing up and loved listening to the "old" folks.

Alabama is another state with budget problems. Alabama Governor Bob Riley is trying to persuade voters in that Bible-belt state to approve the largest tax increase in Alabama history by attempting to make the voters feel that that it is "their Christian duty," but even the Christian Coalition is having problems with that tact.

Starting tomorrow, a Red Rock Job Corps employee will chaperone Sunday night Martz bus trips to Wilkes-Barre from Philadelphia and all Martz bus drivers must announce before pulling out of the terminals that it's illegal to smoke, drink alcohol and do drugs on their buses, according to today's Times Leader.

The Golden (Kay) Yakkers.
Saw those young guys racing kayaks in the Olympics, right? Swooping down through narrow gates in narrower boats which seem glued to their bodies, right? Terrified that if you ever COULD get into a kayak, you 'd never get out and if it tipped you'd drown, right? Nope. Things have changed.

Kayaks have been through a revolution. You can still buy handmade beauties for over $4,000., and you can still buy nine-person boats which are so heavy they REQUIRE nine persons to put them on top of the car. But you no longer have to.

Now, for as little as $275., you can buy a 10-foot kayak weighing only 45 lbs. which one adult can easily lift and carry. Inflatables are popular—don't think about your swimming pool floats—which can be taken along in the car or on airplanes. More expensive boats may be made of fiberglass or skins on a wood frame, but most of the family recreational boats are made of very durable plastic polymers. Some feature two layers of plastic with a cork inner layer. It's hard to sink them, but don't worry about that anyway, the state requires that you have a life preserver on board, if not on your person. And finally, if you don't wish to purchase, many outfitters rent kayaks.

Now for the best news . . . while kayak design varies to fit almost every taste, no one has to squeeze into a cockpit as narrow as an MRI tube anymore--unless they plan to do white-water kayaking through boulder-fields and over falls, in which case it is advisable to have a narrow cockpit and a spray skirt to keep the boat from flooding. Many boats now sport large, open cockpits, up to 50 inches long: if the paddler tips into the lake she will get wet, but not be trapped in the seat. One type is the "sit on top"; this kayak lacks a true cockpit at all, but has a depression on top which fits the paddler's hips, legs, and feet.

These are some of the things discovered by The Golden Yakkers of the Central and Jamison City area.

The Yakkers are an over-50 club originally associated with the Christ United Methodist Church, Central. The interest in boating formed among these adults, but they would have it known that they gladly welcome associate members from the under-50 crowd. Canoeists also participate in the club's activities, so there is no prejudice against one type of craft or another. Nor is there prejudice against any person who might wish to participate.

	Formed after a highly successful picnic and boating party at Lake Jean in September of 2002, the group has returned to that lake several times.
Picture Courtesy of Dr. Harold Ackerman
At the park: Jane Ackerman, Ed Vandergrift, Henrietta Earney

More recently it has paddled on the North Branch of the Susquehanna from West Nanticoke to Hunlocks Creek and from Berwick to Bloomsburg; it has found a favorite stretch on the West Branch from Montoursville to Muncy; and it has tried Pine Creek at Slate Run.

Locally, members have paddled Fishing Creek from Forks to the new Kocher Park above Lightstreet. This stretch, which usually begins to grow shallow and uninteresting a few days after Memorial Day, has this year remained an astonishingly beautiful and refreshing trip well into summer, owing to unusual amounts of rainfall.

		On a recent Thursday, Ed Vandergrift, Henrietta Earney, and Jane and Harold Ackerman took the 10-mile trip from Montoursville to Muncy.
	Picture Courtesy of Dr. Harold Ackerman
	On the water: Henrietta in her LiquidLogic; Jane in her Dagger Blackwater by Mainstream; Ed in his Perception

River conditions were a little high and swift following approximately 1¼ inches of rain the previous Sunday. Weather forecasts indicated a stretch of rainy days ahead, so they decided to seize the opportunity to get on the river on what might be the last good day for a time.

The group left a shuttle vehicle at the PA fish commission ramp at the end of Water Street in Muncy, almost underneath the new bridge construction there. Then they took their remaining vehicle and trailer to the north end of Montoursville to the park behind the airport just below the confluence of the Loyalsock and the Susquehanna. Bright sunlight of the morning was beginning to fade as they put their boats in at 1:30 pm. The trip ordinarily requires 2½ hours, but the fast-running river significantly reduced the time to 2 hours this day. Good thing, too, as a drizzle began just as they reached the boat ramp at Muncy.

Along the way, they enjoyed the view of the river hedged in by mountain and trees with only an occasional trailer or cabin to interrupt the view. Birds and wildlife were abundant, including several heron, a swooping hawk, and geese. This stretch of the river also offers four or five large islands with swift channels to either side and birds calling to paddlers from hiding in the thickets.

The river itself is a thing on these trips. It has a personality, playful yet suddenly strong and demanding.

		One must not be deceived by its calm moments as the strength of its current can boil suddenly at the approach to swift waters.
Picture Courtesy of Dr. Harold Ackerman
The boats reaching the end of a rapid section

One plus is that the river is so wide here that trees and brush can easily be avoided, and the islands are large enough that the person wishing to stop, explore, picnic, or stretch the legs can do so.

Below the last rapids on this stretch, the group passed the mouth of Muncy Creek and landed their boats at the ramp--just in time as some motorboats were growing active and the calm offered by paddling was ending.

For more information on the Yakkers, email Harold Ackerman, .
--contributed by Dr. Harold Ackerman

We extend birthday greetings today to Dr. Brian Becker, Camp Hill; Shirley Irene Keller and Barbara King, Benton; and Seth Eyer, Millville. These fine folks share their birthday with writer Herman Melville and with Washington lawyer Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics for our national anthem. In 1814 at the age of 35, he composed the "The Star Spangled Banner" from a truce ship in the harbor while the British bombed Fort McHenry. He did not know if the Americans had defended themselves until "dawn's early light" when he looked through a telescope and saw their raised garrison flag. He checked into a Baltimore hotel when he reached land and finished his poem. Francis Scott Key's words, following a twenty-year effort during which more than forty bills and joint resolutions were introduced in Congress, finally became the national anthem of the United States in 1931. Few know all the words. Go to http://www.robinsweb.com/inspiration/starspangled.html to read them.

Word of the Day: Etymology.
The study of the origins of words. The etymology of a word is its linguistic history. For example, the word etymology comes from the ancient Greek language: the Greek word etymon, which means "the true sense of a word," combined with the Greek element logia, which means "doctrine" or "study." Together, these two parts gives us "the study of the true sense of words."

Here is a website that looks at the etymology of given names, those names we westerners call first names, names generally bestowed at some point after the birth of the child and before the relatives start arriving: http://www.behindthename.com/ .

Are you getting some email messages that you don't want? There is an easy way to delete several emails at the same time.
• Click on the first email you want to delete.
• Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click on the last email you want to delete.
• All the messages between the first and last email you clicked on will be highlighted.
• Press the "delete" key on your keyboard.
If you have messages mixed in that you want to save, just hold down the Ctrl key and click only on the messages you want to delete. When they are all highlighted, press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Go to http://www.worldtimeserver.com/atomic-clock/ to connect to one of the time servers operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At the site, you can compare the time of your computer with the time on the servers operated by the NIST. This program will then display the difference between your system and the servers and if greater than 15 seconds, it will offer you the option of adjusting your PC by the displayed amount. It can even be set to automatically check the time once a day and you can download and use this utility at no cost to you!

The Character Map is an index of symbols and characters such as : ® § Ã and so forth. All versions of Windows since Windows 95 have a Character Map. Want to see yours? Click start, then run, and type charmap.exe .

Hershey Foods Corp. introduced a dark-chocolate version of its popular Hershey's Kisses candy. The new flavor is the first permanent addition to the Kisses line in a decade. Over half the people in a survey of more than 2,000 said that if they were stranded on a desert island, they would rather have an unlimited supply of dark-chocolate Kisses than their favorite book. Choices other than dark-chocolate kisses were not given, or the results might have been quite different!

Chloe writes...
These serious talks about discipline are getting me down. Whenever I get one of my Bichon buzzes, Leader wants me to "sit" or "stay" or not bark or do any number of his pointless indignities. I have no idea what Leader has on his mind or why it is sometimes I have to do the same thing over and over again—and without even getting a biscuit, mind you. In the middle of a nap attack, Leader wants me to stand up and then "sit." When we take a walk, I have to "heel." Along with my boyfriend, He, things get done over and over. And Leader always does it the same way. He just has not learned the art of doing things differently each time. I am sick of Leader insisting on this discipline stuff. I just wish that he would bite me instead of this "sit" stuff. Take last night. He and I went up by where the birds with the people in them land and we heard the noise that the Leaders on horses make, but we didn't see any horses like we did two weeks ago. And then instead of Leader taking us over to where we could smell the meat cooking, we had to stay in the car. That is part of that discipline thing!
--Chloe is a female Bichon, and a staff reporter for the Benton News.

Pep Boys will close 33 stores, including three in Pennsylvania, in a restructuring that the company said will save it $11 million a year. The Pennsylvania stores are in Selinsgrove, Upper Darby and Williamsport. Pep Boys said it expects to take a pretax charge of about $85 million in its second quarter because of the closings and layoffs. In 2000, Pep Boys closed 38 stores and laid off 1,500.

From time to time we mention the things that are new in the Benton News. Well, to start with, we often like to go back to some of the old codgers of Benton and mention some of the interesting things they did. We often refer to the Benton High School Kaleidoscope, the yearbook of the graduating class of 1952, because in that yearbook we could find alumni from the classes 1906 through 1945. The yearbook staff that year, consisting of Bob Lewis, the editor, Don Baker, the class president, and Nancy Shannon, Janet Follmer, Mary Gilbert, Wayne Baker and Shirley Ash, did a super job of tracking alumni. We have taken that basic list and added it to FEATURES.