The Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center has a new website, www.N4Cs.org . The site is easy to navigate and contains information about The Center's programs, the people and much more. The new home page displays upcoming events and recent announcements. It also sports a new weekly program calendar that shows each activity with its scheduled day and time. A program section details every activity available at The Center from reading tutoring to basketball, yoga, Zumba, lectures, concerts, art exhibits, summer-youth activities and more. Under the "Center Information" tab, a brief video walks newcomers through the facility, and a concise history proudly tells the story of The Center from its inception. If you want to volunteer your time or make a donation, read about options under the Get Involved section. You can even “Like Us” on Facebook. There is a lot more, so stop by www.N4Cs.org .
Tim was a member of the Bloomsburg Archery Club and served as an onbudsman for the Columbia Montour Aging office.
Tim was preceded in death by a son, Timothy Michael Downs on September 24, 1985. Surviving in addition to his parents are children Katie A. Downs and Kyle T. Downs, (Tomara), all of Bloomsburg; Alli K. Downs, State College; Michael R. Downs, Bloomsburg; and brothers John Downs and Daniel Downs (Susan), Bloomsburg. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2 with friends received preceding in the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, 325 Market St., Bloomsburg. There will be no viewing. Interment in Elan Memorial Park, Lime Ridge. Flowers will be provided by the family. Friends may remember Tim with a gift to the Fishingcreek Cleanup Project , P. O. Box 498, Millville, PA 17846.
Washington College snapped Catholic University's nine-game winning streak December 31 with a 65-61 win over the Cardinals in the championship game of the Catholic University Holiday Tournament. Former Benton star and now Junior center Erin Kile scored 11 points and brought down 12 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end. The Shorewomen finished their non-conference schedule with a perfect 5-0 record. They head to Franklin & Marshall for a 6 PM game Wednesday.
Please keep Donald P. Martini, Benton High School Class of 1950 and a 2009 Benton High School Hall of Fame Inductee, now a resident of Seattle, in your prayers. Don is in a care facility. Most readers won't remember Don. His father, Frank A. Martini, was a steam-shovel operator who worked for Lane Construction Company during the construction of the "dug."
Don joined the Air Force in January 1951 as a private. He wanted to enter cadet school, but didn't have the education, although a proviso in the regulations said that "or equivalent" could be substituted for a formal degree. Don sat for the GEDs for the first two years of college and passed them on the first try--all of which speaks highly for the education he received in the Benton schools. Donald eventually retired as a Major and Master Navigator in March 1971 after logging more than 6,000 hours of flying time and receiving several commendation medals as well as an Air Medal for his 50 missions in Vietnam. In 1980, he graduated cum laude from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, Structures. After graduation, he worked for Boeing. In his final 10 years with the company, he was a 747 Flight Instructor, teaching many crews at the Boeing facility and overseas.
Don was the only instructor for the space shuttle crews and the Air Force One 747 crew. He actually retired three times from the Boeing Company, but was called back for special assignments. He retired "for good" in 2003.
Don considered his contribution to the Vietnam War effort as the most important achievement of his career. It led to the ability to detect and interdict the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese on the Ho Chi Minh trail. "Teaching pilots how to operate the 747 rates second," Don recalls. He added, "Although not all of my Air Force career was fun, it was always interesting and challenging."
Dolores E. (Radick) Russell (July 26, 1944-December 29, 2011), died Thursday at her home on McHenry Street, Stillwater. She was 67 and had been in declining health for several years. She was a daughter of Joseph and Doris (Parker) Radick. She was born and educated in Philadelphia. Prior to moving to Stillwater. she lived in Slatington and Bunnell, Florida.
During her career, she worked as a heavy-equipment operator, a highway escort, a cook for the Flagler Beach (Florida) Pier Restaurant. She was an interior designer and the manager for the Levitz Furniture Store, Allentown, and had last been employed as a seamstress. She attended St. Gabriel's Church.
She and her husband, Ronald E. Russell, Sr., celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary on July 16. Surviving, in addition to her husband, are her children Thomas Joseph Sukalski (Yumiko), Okinawa; Kathryn M. Kocher (Todd), Elk Grove; Ronald E. Russell, Jr. and his fiancée, Shanon Fry, Bloomsburg; grandchildren Joseph H. Bradley (Eri), serving in the U. S. Navy at Yokohama, Japan; Scott and Andrew Sukalski, both of Okinawa; great grandchildren Mia and Azuki Russell Bradley.
Funeral services will be held at the McMichael Funeral Home Tuesday at 2 PM with a viewing from 1:30 to 2 PM, with Virginia Thomas, St. Gabriel's Church, officiating. Contributions may be given to the family in lieu of flowers to go toward expenses. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Sunbury Generation LP has filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to convert its aging coal-burning Sunbury plant in Snyder County to natural gas, according to a newspaper article in The Daily Item.
According to Power Engineering magazine, the plant at Shamokin Dam (referred to as the "Sunbury plant") has four coal-fired units which came on-line between 1949 and 1953 and a total operating capacity of 388 MW. The plant operated by Sunbury Generation is owned by Corona Power LLC.
According to the newspaper article, Sunbury Generation wants to close most of the units at the plant and replace them with two natural gas-fired turbines.
Since the Clean Air Act of 1970, power plants have struggled with allocating the economic costs of meeting the nation's air-pollution reduction goals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is implementing strict new air regulations to control emissions of mercury and other air toxics.
In the first nine months of 2011, 399,352 tons of coal were delivered to the Sunbury plant, according to SNL Energy . A pipeline from the plant to the Williamsport area will be necessary in order to provide natural gas.
Click here and when it opens, drag your mouse across the picture for a message for the New Year. Since New Year's Eve isn't one of the times in my life when I get all fired up, that is all I intend to say about the subject.
Didja ever think that a programmer is someone
who solves a problem you don't understand
in a way you don't understand?
There are not many states where history is an integral part of the makeup of its residents as it is in Pennsylvania. Think the battle of Gettysburg, the Liberty Bell, the Quakers, the legacy of William Penn, colonization--the list goes on and on. For reasons unknown to me, the Commonwealth's 3,280 schools and 1.8 million students are generally history deficient.
The subject came up when Dr. Roy Davis, a part-time resident of Jamison City and newspaper columnist in Michigan, emailed about the teacher who asked a "real live veteran" to speak to her high-school class. When the veteran walked to the front of the class, the teacher introduced him by saying, “Students, today we are fortunate to have with us a real veteran FROM WORLD WAR ELEVEN!” The teacher had looked at his credentials and saw that his service was in World War II.
The teacher who introduced the veteran to her class as the guy from "World War Eleven" was not a local teacher and I certainly don't mean to imply that any local teachers would make a horrible mistake like that. But there is a point to be make here. We all need to spend time on history that is of importance to us. This isn't an "off-the-wall" discussion of an obscure subject. Using figures from Wikipedia, more than 16,000,000 military and 45,000,000 died in World War II who were aligned with the Allies. Put another way, between 1937 and 1945, more than 61,000,000 people on "our side" died in what this teacher refers to as World War Eleven.
That is precisely the reason the original Benton News began. In high school, I never had a Pennsylvania history course. I continue to attempt to make readers of this tiny publication more familiar with the history and culture of the Pennsylvania experience.
I personally don't give a hoot what the inclusive years were of the Greco-Persian Wars--or for that matter, a lot of the other events that others feel need to be memorized. In college history courses at Wilkes University, Dr. Mui oversimplified everything. The bad guys he always called the "chicken snatchers," so a discussion of the Japanese invasion of China, as an example, would have been described as the "chicken snatchers (the Japanese) invading the "hen house." (The problem comes about when there are "chicken snatchers" on both sides.
Life for most of us moves at warp speed. Dr. Davis put it way: "As we pile experience upon experience, we will finally have a history book so thick we cannot lift it. Well, so far some books have relegated 'our war' to just a couple of pages. For those of us still kicking around.....that just won’t do! How can we redress this woeful omission of what is perhaps the greatest war we ever fought.....the one that showed the world we could all pull together and win against great odds?"
Roy Davis said that if he were to design an American history and literature course, he would rely to a large part on films and discussion that illustrate the past. For those who want to know more about the "Great War," Roy suggests a short, samp1e list of films about World War II. Here is his list:
Journey for Margaret . In war torn, bombed out England of 1942, a childless couple adopt a winsome war orphan. Very often war is hardest on the littlest people. Have you ever seen the heart rending picture of the Chinese baby sitting amidst the rubble of bombed out Shanghai? Often the people most affected by war are the civilians in the battle area. British people suffered under almost constant German bombing during the first part.
Battleground and Band of Brothers . Both movies are about the Battle of the Bulge....the forest at Ardennes in Europe. This is a famous battle and one which we almost lost. “The Bloody Bastards of Bastogne,” as our men were called, endured under horrible conditions. The first film is older, but it has a socko ending...one that sends shivers down my back. The second is a marvelous series first shown on HBO.
Sands of Iwo Jima is about the Marines and their hard fighting in the Pacific Islands. One of John Wayne’s best. See also Clint Eastwood’s, Letters from Iwo Jima .
From Here to Eternity . Army life before, during and after Pearl Harbor. Stars Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr. The plot may seem a little hokey.....a GI (excellent fighter, who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring) is determined never to box again. But the regimental team needs him. So they start applying pressure....until he breaks. Authentic scenes of army life, ending with the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor.
They Were Expendable . Torpedo boat squadrons in the Pacific. John Wayne and Robert Montgomery do an excellent job. These were the guys who went out to sink Japanese shipping in fast plywood boats. One of them carried Gen. McArthur and his family from the doomed Philippine Islands to Australia, just before the Japanese overran Corregidor.
The Caine Mutiny . Life on board a destroyer during the war. The crew watches helplessly as their Captain (Humphrey Bogart) goes berserk. One of Bogart’s best roles. Excellent study of the different kinds of leadership men endure in a war.
The Best Years of Our Lives . One of most ‘oscared’ and respected films of its time. Three veterans are returning from WWII. One is an infantry sergeant who was a banker in his previous life. Another is a Captain (bombardier) who worked in a drug store, and now has no future. The third is a sailor who lost both hands in a shipboard explosion. He wants to break his engagement to a darling girl who waited for him.......and now should not have to spend her life with a cripple. Resolution comes to all of them in an agonizing fashion......the banker finally adjusts to civilian life...but changes the structure of banking a little. The Captain sheds his floozy wife whom he married on an army base. The girl finally convinces her sailor she will love him....with or without hands.
Roy Davis suggests that the “World War Eleven” teacher sit through these movies and read the stories from which they were made. "Might be an 'Ahah!' moment for her," Roy muses. The lessons of the past can't be forgotten or we are doomed to repeat them.
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Dennis ("Denny") William Dawson, Sr. (June 3, 1956-December 27, 2011) died Tuesday at his Colley Street home. Denny was born in Bloomsburg and lived in Espy until 1998. He was a son of Jack L. Dawson Sr. and Christine (Heckman) Dawson. Dennis was 55. Dennis was a graduate of Central Columbia High School and was employed by the school district for 30 years, retiring in 2003. He won awards for his greenskeeping abilities at the school. He briefly worked at the Red Rock Job Corps Center in 2009. He and his wife, Christine, established The Old Filling Station restaurant on Main Street, Benton. Dennis was a member of the Benton Christian Church and a lifelong member of the Espy Fire Company. |
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| Denny Dawson at one of his favorite tables in the Old Filling Station Restaurant. |
Surviving are his wife, the former Christine Sherwood, whom he married September 1, 1996; a son, Dennis Dawson Jr.; a daughter, Heidi, and her companion, Matthew Zerbe; a stepson, Levi Ribble; brothers Jack L. Dawson Jr. (Marge); Larry Dawson Sr. (Kathy); Jeffrey A. Dawson Sr. (Mary); and Scott J. Dawson (Leslie); a sister, Linda Stotler (James); grandchildren Alexis, Jonathan and Samarra; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Dennis was an avid fisherman and enjoyed fishing the Susquehanna with his friends, Cory Hess and Andy Barnes. Dennis was a "jack of all trades" and worked on many carpentry projects. Dennis was respected and loved by all that met him. He held Stacey M. Taylor, his hospice nurse, in the highest regard. He had a special love for his dachshunds.
At Dennis' request, there will be no viewing or funeral service. A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held Sunday afternoon, January 8, 2012, starting at 4 at the Espy Fire Hall, 300 Tenny St., Scott Township. A meal will be provided after the services. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Denny's name to Columbia Montour Home Health & Hospice, 410 Glenn Ave., Suite 200, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. Arrangements are under the direction of the Mayo Funeral Home Inc., Shickshinny. For additional information, or to send condolences, please visit www.mayofh.com
Denny first encountered cancer in mid-August 2004 while on a fishing vacation near the Gulf of Mexico with his friend, Ed Sheffield, Stillwater. There were tell-tale signs of a problem shortly after they arrived in Mississippi. The center of Denny's back began to throb, and in the middle of a seafood dinner with Ed's sister, Denny began feeling ill. Denny seemed in excellent health, although he had a bout with kidney stones five years earlier. Denny showered and eventually got to bed, but began the cycle over again shortly after midnight.
Doctors admitted Denny on August 16 to the Singing River Hospital System, Pascagoula, Mississippi, after an emergency room cat scan and a series of tests. At two in the morning, doctors called Chris in Benton with the unwelcome and jarring news of Denny’s pancreatic cancer.
Denny listened intently and Back Home in Benton, PA, Christine did the same with friends. Denny mulled the situation over, then called Christine and told her to "Get me out of here." Denny spent two days in the hospital, then was flown from Mobile to Harrisburg on the condition that he would check in immediately at the emergency room of the Geisinger Hospital.
Denny was wheeled into surgery at Geisinger Hospital for an estimated seven-hour surgery, but at the end of three and a half hours, the surgery abruptly stopped. The tumor had grown to about the size of a fifty-cent piece and paper-thin close to the main artery feeding the aorta.
Denny came home a few days later. The first time he had red meat and chocolate, Denny became violently ill. His surgeon handed Denny off to an oncologist, and Denny fell into a six-week wait for an appointment.
It was in March 2005 when Denny's pancreatic cancer was deemed inoperable.
Denny chose an alternative approach to his doctor-recommended healing process. Glenda VanSock Mausteller told Denny about a blended drink known as Montana Yew Tips. She also told of Canadian nurse Rene M. Caisse who for years had advocated the cancer-cure recipe of an old Indian medicine man. Caisse called her herbal remedy "Essiac," a backward spelling of her last name. Rene Caisse espoused the use of Essiac tea and a diet consisting of chicken and fish.
Chris and Denny went to Bellefonte to meet registered nurse Janis Holzman Betz, president of an organization known as Healthy Journey. Betz had published a book on the subject called The Journey to Ultimate Health.
Janis made some dietary recommendations including the use of almonds. Four times a day Denny was given a concoction blended from the juice of a red beet, two carrots, two stalks of celery, broccoli and two Granny Smith apples. He drank lots of water, but never with chlorine. He didn't use sugar or the "blue-pack" or the "pink-pack" sweetener. Denny sweetened his food with a noncaloric "dietary supplement" herb, native to Paraguay, known as stevia.
Geisinger Hospital released Dennis as a patient in January 2004. His Geisinger doctor told Denny, "I don't know what you are doing, but keep doing it!" He had a cancer count of .09% and his tumor has shrunk to the size of a nickel. Twice a month he got a blood test to monitor activity in his body. His early tests showed remarkable progress. Denny told his friends that "half of the battle is knowing that you are going to beat the cancer."
Dennis never completely got out of the woods and he was never completely "cancer-free," but he is a living example of the power of prayer, positive thinking and a discipline of eating and drinking correctly. This fall, Dennis joined the Benton Christian Church and remained an active Sunday participant until he became too weak to attend.
Denny Dawson can teach us all a great deal about living!
There will be no viewing and no public funeral. A memorial service will be held in the future. Mayo Funeral Home, Shickshinny, is in charge of arrangements. Donations may be sent to the Columbia County Hospice, 784-1733, or 800 34-4702. An obituary will be provided when available.
Funding appears to be falling into place to develop a master plan to expand a walking trail from Lower Demunds Road in Dallas to Ricketts Glen State Park via Harveys Lake as part of the Back Mountain Trail. Learn more by going here.
An organization called the American Center for Law and Justice stepped up when a Shickshinny kindergarten student attempted to give her classmates a bracelet that said “Merry Christmas” and a pencil that said "Happy Birthday Jesus." The student's teacher and school principal ruled that her choices of gifts were off limits to her classmates. When the ACLJ contacted the school, the school backed down. Read more on this subject by going here.
ring out the false, ring in the true.
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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Christian Church, Church Street, Benton Picture courtesy of Richard Kriebel |
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Margaret "Marge" (Kubasek) Barchik (January 1, 1932-December 19, 2011), Benton, died Monday afternoon at the Bonham Nursing Center where she had been a resident for a few months. She was 79. Margaret was born in Mocanaqua, a daughter of Anthony and Anna (Vavrasek) Kubasek. She was a graduate of the former Shickshinny High School and attended a beauty school in Wilkes-Barre. |
She and her husband moved to Benton in 1969 and purchased the former Ross Harrison IGA Store on Market Street. They later bought a former auction house and skating rink in Benton Township and moved their grocery store to that location where they owned and operated "Stan and Sons Inc." They operated Barchik's Car Wash which opened in 1985. Margaret worked as a beautician and had her own beauty shop. She retired in 1989. She was an active member of Christ The King Roman Catholic Church.
Alvin M. Klinger (February 5, 1922-December 13, 2011), formerly of the Lime Ridge area, died at his home in Auburndale, Florida, last week. He was 89. Alvin was born in Jamison City, Sugarloaf Township, a son of Harvey J. and Edna M. (Knouse) Klinger. He lived in Auburndale for the past 23 years and formerly lived in the Lime Ridge area. Alvin served with the US Army during World War II. He was employed by the former American Car & Foundry Co., Berwick; the former Berwick Forge Co. and farmed much of his working life.
He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Gladys E. Seltzer, on July 15, 2001; by brothers Leroy Klinger and William Klinger; and by sisters Loretta, Pauline and Harriet. Surviving are sons T. Eugene Klinger, (F. Arlene), Bernville; Boots Klinger, and his friend Linda Eisaman, Bloomsburg; a daughter, Joyce Hartzel Harold), New Windsor, Maryland; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and brothers Robert Klinger, Danville, and Doyle H. Klinger (Gloria), Benton.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 28, 2011, in the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Bloomsburg, with his nephew, Rev. Doyle H. Klinger, Jr. officiating. Entombment will be in Elan Memorial Park, Lime Ridge. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 from 6-8 PM.
Didja ever consider that good health
is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die?
Richard E. "Dick" Killian (October 12, 1956-December 19, 2011), Shickshinny Road, Benton, died Monday at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where he had been a patient since Wednesday. He had been in ill health since September. He was 55. Richard was born in Wilkes-Barre, a son of Charles Edwin Killian and Yvonne R. (Taylor) Killian. He was a 1975 graduate of Northwest High School. He was a certified welder and was employed by K Fab, Berwick, for the past five years and before that he worked for the Berwick AC&F, the Berwick Freight Car Company and Berwick Forge and Fabricating.
Russell C. Hack (May 26, 1988-December 17, 2011), 23, 412 Paperdale Road, Stillwater, passed away Saturday in Fishing Creek Township from injuries sustained in a motor-vehicle accident. Russell was born at the Berwick Hospital. He was a son of Randy A. and Denise A. (Kline) Hack, with whom he resided. Russell was a 2006 graduate of the Benton Area Schools and was 2005 Homecoming King. He earned a degree in Criminal Justice in 2010 from Mansfield University and was pursuing a career with the Pennsylvania State Police.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Russell Hack, 23, Paperdale Road, Stillwater, who was killed Saturday morning in a motor-vehicle accident at the intersection of Asbury and Winding Roads, Fishing Creek Township. Russell is the son of Denise and Randy Hack. Arrangements will be announced by the McMichael Funeral Home. The driver of the vehicle, Kyle Shaffer, was life-flighted to the Geisinger Hospital.
We usually don't take things very seriously on the Benton News Blog, but we do when it comes to this free performance. Please make an effort to come out for one of these two delightful performances.
Today's sports video shows some magnificent photography and will be a good diversion from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. Take four and half minutes and enjoy.
Thursday December 15, Benton wrestlers travelled to Muncy and suffered its first loss of the season 43 to 27. The match started at 106.
106 - Jacob Dgien (M) fall 1:23 Ricky Kryzwicki (B)
113 - Alex Krah (M) won by FF
120 - Mike Pega (M) fall 0:50 Lenny Hazlak (B)
126 - Matt Welliver (B) fall 0:14 Alex Shull(M)
132 - Colt Cotten (B) fall 1:17 Andy Aguilar (M)
138 - Brandon Lontz (B) won FF
145 - Health Strickland (M) fall 0:44 Brad Miccio (B)
152 - Jeric Kasunic (B) dec. 4-2 Isaih Bobotis (M) 160 - Troy Hemburg (M) major dec. 10-1 Logan Womelsdorf (B) 170 - Moyle (M) fall 1:21 Matt Zawatski (B)
182 - Marcus Welliver (B) dec. Jake Colburn (M) 4-2
195 - Jake Mankey (B) dec. Sylar Ebner (M) 14-7 220 - Chris Secules (M) fall 1:12 Blake Bogart (B)
285 - Nick Roberts (M) dec. Anthony Davis (B) 7-5 sv
Benton travels to Line Mountain on December20 at 7 PM.
Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to provide 250,000 dekatherms per day (The current system capacity is approximately 9.6 million dekatherms per day) of incremental, year-round firm natural gas transportation capacity via its Transco pipeline to serve the Northeast by November 2013. The Northeast Supply Link project will expand segments of the existing 10,000 mile Transco pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to transport domestic supplies of natural gas to markets in the Northeast. The proposed expansion is new pipe at various locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a new 25,000 horsepower compressor facility in New Jersey along with other facility modifications. The capital cost of the project is estimated to be $341 million. Most of the new pipe will be installed either entirely within or parallel to existing pipeline and utility rights-of-way. If approved, compressor station construction would begin in November 2012 with pipeline construction following in the spring of 2013.
For residents of Benton Borough.
The public is invited to sit in on the borough council meeting Friday night, December 16, at 7 at the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center. This meeting was moved to Friday night because of the mandatory days between when a budget is first approved and when it can be finalized. At a special meeting at the end of November, council approved by a 4-3 vote a tax increase of 5 mills, which will generate approximately $40,000 which will be applied to the cost of having a full-time officer working 40 hours a week). The borough will have an addition 13 hours a week of part-time coverage. The borough currently averages about 15.25 a week in part-time coverage with a budget of 35 hours a week. The majority of council felt that acquisition of a full-time policeman would help the borough with police coverage and cut down on some or many problems!
Dale B. Ruckle, formerly of Millville and now living in Plano, Texas, is a happy granddaddy today. Dale's grandson,
Kevin Stout, was commissioned into the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. Kevin graduated from the University of Texas in Aerospace Engineering with a 3.99 GPA. He now goes to MIT for his Masters and PhD, with a fighter-pilot slot reserved when he graduates from MIT. The MIT scholarship was arranged for Kevin by the Air Force and the Lincoln Lab at MIT. Kevin had a three-star general, a colonel and several captains in attendance. Kevin invited former president George Bush to give the message, but he declined saying that he was on a quail-hunting trip.
Marcia Kay and I are thinking the "F" word. We can't agree with the sentiment that there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. We believe that the sun is shining in the Sunshine State! I should be getting around to start my Christmas shopping, addressing Christmas cards and writing to friends and relatives and watching my diet, but I am thinking more and more about hitting the high road...
I don't want to end up like the man who went to Florida and unfortunately died there. When his body was shipped home, someone said to his widow that he looked wonderful. His widow nodded approvingly and said something to the effect that his two weeks in Florida had done him a world of good.
After two postponements, Monday will be surgery day for me, this time in Wilkes-Barre for a problem with the back of one of my eyes. The frequency of future editions of the Benton News Blog will be dependent on the outcome of the procedure.
The old Pennsylvania kitchens from my youth had a wood or coal stove with a curved stove pipe that kept the family warm in winter and hot in summer. The stove was constantly in use for making homemade bread and pies, and for cooking vegetables and meat. It was at this time of the year that Mother will busy herself making Christmas clear hard candy, which she would then wrap in something called pilofilm, a transparent wrapping paper she heat-sealed, then packed the multi-colored candy in cookie tins for giving as presents.
Zane Unbewust and I were hot to trot about getting some of the old fashioned candy, and I finally found it for sale in Weaver's Amish Market along Route 11 about ten miles south of Shamokin Dam. I brought a load of it to Benton and friends sat around having Christmas hard-candy eating binges. Not much was said at these crunching sessions. It is really hard to talk with that sweet concoction in your mouth.
It took awhile, but I found Mother's recipe and now I conclude that anyone who can boil water can make homemade hard candy so long as they take a little time and pay attention. The little kids in your family would love to help. Just remember that this candy ranks as a solid "7" on the "snap-a-tooth-off meter."
Making the candy involves chemical changes in two kinds of sugar which are combined with water and heated well above the boiling point of that water. The water is boiled off leaving a thick hot syrup which turns to crystallized sugar when it cools to room temperature. In the meantime, add some coloring and flavoring and if you have any molds shape it as you want.
Here is the recipe:
Three and a half cups white sugar
One and a half cups light corn syrup
One cup of water
Powdered sugar
Flavoring oil
Food coloring
You'll need a few accessories for your candy making. You need a heavy saucepan, a thermometer that measures temperature above 300° and a pizza cutter.
Put the sugar, syrup and water in a saucepan, stir over medium heat until it dissolves. Then put the thermometer in the mixture and leave it along while it begins boiling and the temperature begins to rise. The temperature will stay at 212° (the temperature of boiling water) for what seems an eternity--actually only until the water boils away from the mixture. The water is gone when the temperature begins to rise.
You aren't done yet! The temperature needs to go above 310° to make sure that the candy will be hard. Take it off the stove when it hits the 310° mark, but be mindful of the serious burns that liquid this hot can cause.
Now you have to move quickly. Switch off "General Hospital." Add the flavoring, then the food coloring, then pour the mixture onto aluminum foil. If your candy is grape flavored, use purple coloring. If you are making orange candy, use yellow. Just dump the oils and the coloring into the hot mixture and stir it thoroughly. The steam that comes off peppermints and other mint candy will knock you for a loop, so be careful of them. Take yesterday's newspaper and put under the aluminum foil so you don't ruin your counter from the heat, then turn up the edges of the foil so the mixture doesn't run all over. Sprinkle powdered sugar liberally on the oil. Cooling begins immediately when the hot liquid hits the foil. At first, it looks like water, then it begins to look like syrup again and finally it looks like thick cold molasses.
Mother made her candy into figures, but heck why not just sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cooling mixture and cut it into quarter-inch squares. You probably won't be able to cut completely through the mixture, but even a hairline dent will eventually break clean along that line.
You will be able to store the candy in plastic bags or rigid plastic freezing containers for months in a cool, dry place.
The kitchen was the best smelling part of the house and I betcha right now some readers are thinking of the smell of their mothers' hard candy or her homemade bread, or her rice pudding or thinking of her turkey and "fixins." At this time of the year, food destined for the kitchen and the dining room stayed in queue in the unheated pantry or back room. A white refrigerator (sometimes called a "figeator") was usually the ugliest appliance in the room, although the black telephone and the white porcelain sink were not far behind in the lack of beauty. The kitchens of some of the great Pennsylvania kitchens I can remember didn't even have cabinets. Cabinets were reserved for the pantry where cookware and food were kept at the ambient temperature. The most battle-worn pots and pans were shielded from view under the sink by a cotton curtain hanging from a rod. A wind-up wall clock known as a "Regulator" hung on the kitchen wall, timing the minutes until the men came "in from the fields" at noon. A white porcelain table provided the same surface as kitchen islands do today. In the ceiling was a small opening to let heat rise to the bedrooms above and to issue a "come hither" communication with those lingering on the second floor.
There were some kitchens that included a wooden stool used when the kids helped peel the potatoes or make pies. Some kitchens had a daybed and many had a rocking chair for when Grandma got tired and need to "rest a spell." Mother liked to weave her braided carpets in the kitchen, occasionally getting up to stir the lima beans or check the pot roast. This is the room in which we bundled up before we braved the winter weather when we went ice skating on Paul's pond,
The kitchen was where the endless baking of Christmas cookies took place, where the scattered family would reunite at the "piled-high" table at Christmas time and where the gaily wrapped presents would be exchanged in front of a small Christmas tree. Coming from somewhere outside the house were sounds of church bells. Although usually associated with the New Year, many families ate sauerkraut and turkey on Christmas Day. A Carlisle Spirit of the Times article from January 19, 1819, noted "With him and de qwack toctor Mealy kame back from eating roast durkies and sourkrout on krismas dey made a bargin."
I have been in many homes with "great rooms," but few matched the great kitchens I have known over the years, decorated as from a by-gone era, colorful as feed-sack material could make them, under the firm control of the lady of the house. Ah, yes, a childhood without Christmas in the kitchen would be as empty as a sky without stars or--well, as empty as a world without a Savior!
Sometimes it doesn't pay to fool around with someone bigger than you are. Here is an example:
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Barbara A. (Young) Derr (December 6, 1941-December 11, 2011) died Sunday at her Orangeville home on Winding Road. She was 70. Barbara was born in Bloomsburg. She was a daughter of Owen H. "Tony" Young and Ethel Anna (Hess) Young. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Larue "Butch" Derr, on December 10, 1994. |
Barbara's profession was that of a waitress who made every meal she served an experience. Over the years, she worked at the former Frieda's Restaurant, Benton, the former Pied Piper Restaurant, Maple Grove, and most recently at the Hess Market Restaurant, Orangeville.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 11 AM at the McMichael Funeral Home. Burial will be in St. James Cemetery, Fishing Creek Township. A viewing will be held Thursday evening from 6 to 8 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the American Heart Association, 1704 Warren Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
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James W. "Jim" Gordon (September 18, 1949-December 11, 2011), died Sunday at his home on O'Brian Hill Road, Benton. He was 62. Jim was born in Wilkes-Barre. He was a 1967 graduate of Benton High School and earned his Associate Degree in Business from Penn State University in 1973. He enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps in October 1969 and proudly served his country during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in October 1971. |
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Francis J. "Frank" Mika (July 1, 1943-December 11, 2011), Waller Road, Benton, died Sunday at the Bonham Nursing Center, Register, where he had been a guest for two days. He had been in failing health for several months. He was 68. Frank was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, a son of Clara Mika, Nescopeck and the late Gaza J. Mika. |
Frank was a 1961 graduate of Benton High School. He was a self-employed businessman who had owned rental property in the local area. He purchased a Benton furniture store from "Si" Holcombe and operated it as Mika Furniture. He owned and operated the Mortgaged Inn, Benton. He ran F. J. Mika's Pub 80 inside the Columbia Mall, Buckhorn.
He was a member of the Benton United Methodist Church, Bloomsburg Elks and a social member of the VFW and American Legion. He was an avid card player and enjoyed going to the track. He spent time lounging in his chair in the sun. His biggest joy was his role as "Pap" to his grandson and best bud, Collin.
Surviving, in addition to his mother, Clara Mika, Nescopeck, are his daughter, Monica L. Mika-Machamer (George Morin), Benton; a grandson, Collin J. Machamer, Benton; sisters Mary Ann Douthat (Jesse), ["Pete"], Nescopeck; Lorraine Marshall (Donald), Bloomsburg; brother, Dennis Mika (Debbie), Benton; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A viewing will be held Wednesday evening at the McMichael Funeral Home from 6 to 8 PM with a second viewing at the funeral home Thursday at noon until time of the funeral at 1 PM. Burial will be in the Benton Cemetery. The family will provide flowers. Contributions may be made in his memory to the Kathy LaBar Charitable Foundation, PO Box 316, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. For online condolences, visit website www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
I cannot say, and I will not say That he is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, He has wandered into an unknown land. And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be since he lingers there. And you? you, who the wildest yearn For the old-time step and the glad return? Think of him faring on, as dear In the love of there as the love of here; Think of him still as the same, I say; He is not dead'he is just away.
--James Whitcomb Riley
Published December 11, 2011
Didja know that the local area once had a village known as "Hell's Crossing?" The post office department changed the name of the "union" of two roads in that crossroads community to "Unityville" and designated those two roads as "Star Routes." It was in 1840--fourteen years before Jordan Township was created--when horseback riders first carried mail there. In 1938, Unityville had air mail service thanks to J. R. McCarty who flew mail from a field in Unityville to metropolitan airports. Unityville was the only fourth class post office in the nation to have that distinction. There are valuable caches of that air-mail service floating around.
Benton Township and Millville Borough should see power outages restored faster as a result of a PPL Electric Utilities upgrade of local substations and construction of two new distribution circuits. Outdated equipment and circuits nearing overload have been updated in order to provide for the demands of electric heat. PPL invested $1.5 million to upgrade a pair of local substations and build two new distribution circuits that serve Millville Borough and Benton Township. The upgrades will "reduce load on existing lines," according to a PPL press release, and "better meet increased local demand for electricity and improve reliability." Switches were installed that will help operators restore service faster when outages occur. The company provides electric-delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania.
D.R.'s QuickMart has scheduled its grand opening on the Bendertown/Jonestown road for the first week in January 2012. Dean and Beverly Ribble have created a beautiful building.
Published December 9, 2011.
• Global energy demand will be about 30% higher in 2040 compared to 2010, as prosperity expands across a world whose population will grow to nearly 9 billion people.
• Those of us in North America and Europe will continue with energy use remaining essentially flat through times of economic growth and high living standards. Energy demand elsewhere will grow by close to 60%. China’s energy demand will continue for about two more decades then gradually flatten as its economy and population mature. As living standards in other parts of the planet improve, billions of people will be working to advance their living standards and will consume more energy.
• Energy to make electricity by 2040 will account for more than 40% of global energy consumption. The use of coal will begin a gradual decline, while renewable energies and nuclear power will grow significantly. Oil, gas and coal will continue to be the most widely used fuels and will make up about 80% of total energy consumption in 2040.
• Natural gas will overtake coal for the number-two position behind oil--rising more than 60% through 2040--much of it coming from unconventional sources such as our shale formations of Marcellus and Utica.
• Energy-saving practices and technologies--hybrid vehicles and high- efficiency natural gas power plants--will temper demand growth and curb emissions. Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will level off around 2030.
Bill Fullmer, Donald Baker and Pier Holcombe are setting up a 60th high-school reunion in Benton May 2012. The present concept is to synchronize the reunion with the Benton Alumni Association Meeting on the Memorial Day weekend Saturday night, May 26, 2012.
Craig Ferguson summed up the 14-year prison sentence for the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Craig gave more insight into the 14 years: "To give you an idea how long that is, take Kim Kardashian's marriage and add 14 years."
Bob Sagar, a Benton resident and former biology professor at Bloomsburg University, started the Bloomsburg area Christmas bird count many years ago. More participants are needed. Doug Gross, a PGC biologist living in Greenwood Township, 570 458-4564, can provide details. Two blog entries are available on the Benton News Blog Bulletin Board, www.bentonnews.net/BentonBB.htm , with additional information about this subject. The 2011 bird count will take place Sunday, December 18, when the North Branch Bird Club will hold its 41th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in the Bloomsburg area, sponsored by Ken’s Cattails.
If you think this would be of interest to you, please join them. The North Branch Bird Club is in special need of participants this year. The more observers and feeder watchers, the more birds and bird species are likely to be counted. The National Audubon Society requests a $5 donation from field participants to offset costs of compiling and printing the results. Feeder watchers can participate for free. If you would like more information, please visit Ken’s Cattails, near the Columbia Mall, or contact Cathy Haffner (570-271-1244), Bloomsburg CBC Compiler.
The idea is to "buy low, sell high," but like many of life's twists and turns, it doesn't always work out that way. Both seasoned citizens and baby boomers are downsizing as a result of the poor economy and aging population. As with all advice involving taxes, you should consult a tax attorney or CPA when tax consequences are involved. Most of us who sell an asset won't have big tax bills because Uncle Sam is only owed if you make money on the transaction. Most of our possessions haven't gone up in value.
What you give to charity can be itemized on tax returns for the item's fair market value. A photograph of your donation, substantiating information relating to the value of the deduction and an acknowledgement from the charity of the gift are pretty-much essential. For items worth more than $5,000, you need an appraisal. Cars donated to charity can be claimed for the fair market value if the charity keeps and uses the car, but if it sells the car, you can only claim what the charity receives for the car.
Rotate the image in all directions and enlarge the image to see the amazing scenes. To view every part of the Michelangelo’s masterpiece, just click and drag your arrow in the direction you wish to see. In the lower left, click on the plus (+) to move closer, on the minus (-) to move away.
The painting took four years, from July 1508 to October 1512. Learn more about Michelangelo by going here.
--Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1787
On May 2, 2011, the Copenhagen Philharmonic amazed commuters at the Copenhagen Central Train Station as they created a kind of orchestral "flash mob." The philharmonic orchestra performed Ravel's Bolero, with the musicians gradually assembling in place as the work progressed. The video, which shows not only the assembling orchestra but also the delighted faces of the commuters, has generated overwhelming interest and exceeded the orchestra’s expectations.
Here is a tablecloth trick that didn't go quite as planned.
As of Friday night, Frank Mika is a patient in the Bonham Nursing Home. Keep Sheldon Smith in your prayers. Sheldon suffered another stroke. Keep Bob Wenner in your prayers. He is in ICU at Geisinger Hospital. Ralph Ford and his new lift chair are home from the hospital. Nina says he is in great spirits, and loves getting phone calls and cards. His phone number is 570 864-2336.
The surprise counter attack by the Germans was a vital test for the Allies and proved to be the last large offensive for the Germans, culminating in the surrender in May 1945.
The Endless Mountains War Memorial Museum tribute will feature memorabilia and weapons from both sides and anyone who would like to bring an artifact for show and tell and/or share their experiences is most welcome to do so. A Sullivan County First Division veteran who was wounded and went through some of the hardships of the winter warfare will be at the museum to share experiences with visitors. There is no admission fee, but the museum will accept tax-deductible donations. Additional information can be had by calling 570 482-2610 or email craftj@epix.net. The museum thanks all those who turned out to its Pearl Harbor tribute and thanks WBRE-TV for its coverage.
The man who threatens to run as an independent if the right Republican candidate isn't nominated got taken down a notch Thursday when Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s campaign announced that the Texas governor would not participate in the Donald Trump-moderated debate December 27 in Des Moines. Perry, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman have declined the Donald’s self-aggrandizing internet debate.
Contestants may enter one individual and one group act and will perform before a panel of impartial judges. Premiums will be awarded to first- through fourth-places; rosettes will be given to other places.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs January 7-14 from 8 AM to 9 PM. Admission is free and parking is $10. The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center is easily accessed from the Upper Fishing Creek valley by driving into Harrisburg on the East Shore from Amity Hall. For a complete schedule of Farm Show events, visit www.farmshow.state.pa.us .
I scored a major act of deception recently. A visitor took my lack of pep as an act of patience...
So much for that promise of "no new taxes..." The Guv and 34 state legislators signed the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge," (Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge) a project of Americans for Tax Reform, which promised the residents of Pennsylvania in writing that there would be no tax increases during the Guv's tenure and that he would "oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes." The Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out December 8 that residents of the Commonwealth will begin paying sales taxes on everything they buy online. How do Commonwealth residents reconcile this? I can't make it more understandable, so you'll have to rely on the Guv's solution. He redefined the internet tax as an internet fee. Isn't that slick!
Elinor J. (Wolf) Avallone (September 2, 1924-December 6, 2011), 268 Frosty Hollow Road in the borough of New Columbus, Stillwater, died Tuesday at the Homewood Residence of Boynton Beach, Boynton Beach, Florida. She was 87. Mrs. Avallone was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, a daughter of Henry and Elinor (Seagriff) Wolf. Mrs. Avallone lived in Staten Island, New York, for many years before moving to the Stillwater area where she lived for 33 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alphonso C. Avallone, in August 1993, and by sisters Grace Ryan and Marge Kennedy. Survivors include her children Carol Chiusano (Angelo), Phoenix, AZ; Charles Avallone (Eileen), Hawley, PA; Kenneth Avallone (Judy), Port St. Lucie, FL; Roger Avallone (Denise), Howell, NJ; Elinor J. Lindenmuth (William), Boynton Beach, FL; Loreen Finley, Lancaster. There are 13 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; sister, Joan Meyer, Benton; brother, Henry Wolfe, White Haven; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be held Saturday, December 10, 2011, at the McMichael Funeral Home from 11 AM followed by funeral services at the funeral home at 1:30 PM. Burial will be in St. James Cemetery, Fishing Creek Township. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Matthew "Matt" Raski (October 1, 1926-December 5, 2011), Waller Road, Benton, died Monday at the Bloomsburg Health Care Center where he had been a resident since May 2010. He was 85. Matt was born in Benton, a son of Anthony and Anna (Borouch) Raski. He was a graduate of Benton High School, attended Diesel Mechanic School in Queens, NY, and proudly served his country in the U. S. Navy during World War II as first gunner aboard the SS Timothy Dwight. He was a well-known dairy farmer in the Benton area and later a milk inspector for Farmland Dairies. He was a member of the Benton United Methodist Church.
Matt was preceded in death by his wife, Norma A. (Fritz) Raski, who died December 31, 2000, after 50 years of marriage; and by three brothers and a sister: Tom Raski, Alfonso Raski, Tony Raski and Florence Sands.
Surviving are his children Rev. Cynthia Raski-Fuller (Jerry), Aiken, SC; M. Paige Raski (Dee), Millville; grandchildren Eric, Justin, Aaron and Corissa Raski; two great grandchildren, Brynn Raski and Mason Oberholtzer. Also surviving are his sisters Agnes Hess (William), Stillwater; Pauline Brewington (Percy), Oak Ridge, TN; Barbara Hess (Gary), York; Anna Baker, Glen Burnie, MD; and a sister, Dorothy Biggers, San Diego, CA.
A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family. Funeral arrangements will be handled by the McMichael Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Geisinger Hospice, 100 N. Academy Lane, Danville, PA 17822. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Keep Ralph Ford, Barbara King and Frank Mika in your prayers. All are patients in the Geisinger Hospital.
Here are some definitions that we brought back from Florida...
Tangent. A man just back from Florida.
Buccaneer. What they charge for sweet corn in Florida.
Castanet. What a fisherman in Florida does to catch fish.
Playsuit. A garment that has more play than suit.
Mugwump. An animal that sits on the fence with its mug on one side and its wump on the other.
Borrower. A person who always wants to be left a loan.
Atoll. A body of coral surrounded by water that isn't an island at all.
Ferryboat. A boat that makes every passenger cross.
Indorse. Where Pennsylvania people stay in nasty weather.
Barium. What is done to the dead.
Software. Cotton undies.
Modem: What you did to the weeds in your back yard.
Roy Davis, the "Paw Paw River Muskrat," is an infrequent visitor to Jamison City and a columnist for the Tri-City Record. Roy's December 6 column in the Waterviet, MI, Record is titled "Doggie Wisdom from a Bichon Frise" and is reprinted, in part, in the following paragraphs:
Benton Volunteer Fire Company needs your help. If you are interested in becoming an EMT or if you can help on the ambulance, contact the fire company as soon as possible. The fire company needs EMTs and plans to set up an EMT class next year. The organization needs to show that it will have enough people to take the class if it is held. It's an excellent way to get started for anyone considering a career in the healthcare field. Free professional training and free equipment is provided to anyone that joins the fire company. For more information, visit www.bentonfirecompany.com or email email bentonfire150@ yahoo.com
• Advanced System Care Free is a system cleanup and optimization suite. It keeps your PeeCee running fast. It defragments the hard drive, cleans the registry, finds and eliminates spyware, plugs security holes in system settings, fixes broken shortcuts, deletes junk files and erases browser tracks.
• OpenOffice is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, HTML and XML document support. It can create and import files in Microsoft Office formats as well as PDF and others.
• MalwareBytes Anti-MalwareMalwareBytes Anti-Malware (also known as MBAM) is a free virus and spyware infection scanner and cleanup tool. The Pro version (meaning you pay for it) proactively guards against and blocks malware before it can infect your machine. MBAM is much like Microsoft Security Essentials, Spybot S&D, and ComboFix.
• Foxit Reader is a fast, lightweight alternative to Adobe PDF Reader. It allows you to open, view and print PDF files; add annotations; fill in forms; and share information with social networks. It uses as little as 64 MB of RAM, making it suitable for portable devices. • Free is a remote-access application to control multiple remote PCs or Macs from your web browser. Get complete access to the desktop of a remote computer and transfer files between PCs and iPads or iPhones. The free version is available as a Firefox plugin. Dual password protection help keep your data secure. There are many other free programs to consider. We don't have the energy, patience or time to tell you about all of them. But here is the rest of Max's list...
WordWeb
WinPatrol
Windows Live Mail
CaptureWiz
CCleaner
Foxit Reader
Real Player
Revo Uninstaller
Internet Explorer 8 Microsoft Security Essentials SpyBot Ad-aware Google Earth CKRename InfanvVew ShockWave Flashplayer PowerPoint Viewer |
Lynn E. Shaw (May 3, 1943-December 2, 2011), Fifth Street, Benton, a strong woman of faith who enjoyed spreading God's word, died Friday at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where she was a patient for a little over a day. She had been in failing health for the past year. She was 68. Lynn was born at the Bloomsburg Hospital. She was a daughter of George E. and Betty L. (Hosler) Strauch. She was a 1961 graduate of Benton Area High School and a lifelong resident of Benton.
