The Archives for the Benton News

for February 2010

Saturday and Sunday, February 27 and 28, 2010
   February 27, 2010, the birthday of Richard Jost, Lynne Watson and Ora Karns. Ora can be reached by phone at 570 387-0868 (before 7 PM, please) When you call, you'll discover that Ora knows what you know! Janet Rice, New Freeport, Pennsylvania, calls every day and reads the Benton News to her!
   February 28, 2010, the birthday of Rick Posey, Evy Lysk, Gary Ritter, Matt Rabb and Harry Ackerman. Happy birthday today to the Republican Party, formed on this day in 1854 when some opponents of slavery--Northern Democrats, Whigs, and the Free Soil Party--gathered in Ripon, Wisconsin. Six years later, the party won the presidency with Abraham Lincoln. Richard Strauch and Greg Sutliff have birthdays today or tomorrow. Both are leap-year babies. The full moon takes place today at 11:40 AM Eastern Standard Time.  The Lenten service scheduled for Saturday night at St. Gabriel's Church has been cancelled. The firemen's monthly breakfast at Benton fire hall is Sunday from 7 AM to 1 PM. The menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes and buckwheat cakes. Conservations with your neighbors are free.

The sun will rise Saturday morning at 6:47 and set at 6:21 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. In Benton, the sun will rise Saturday morning at 6:43 AM and set at 5:54 PM. The temperature should be 70° this afternoon in Port St. Lucie, while Benton's high will be about 38°.

With the recent winter weather, you may not be getting the exercise you need. So today's pop quiz is about exercise, specifically about running. Charlie and Bernard have taken up jogging. Charlie can run around a circular track in four minutes while it takes Bernard 6 minutes. If they begin together, how many minutes will it take for Charlie to overtake Bernard to pass him? 

Quickies...   

• Another American car maker will soon bite the dust. Chinese regulators created a bummer for Hummer as it blocked the sale of GM's Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery. GM will now wind down production over the next several months. We'll miss the Hummer. It is  probably the only car on the road which can stop a Toyota. 

•  MerleFest provides music on 13 stages throughout the four days of the event. MerleFest happens this year April 29 & 30 and May 1 & 2 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. One of the outstanding events of the MerleFest is the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, now in its 18th year. It is an opportunity for aspiring writers of original songs to be heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals, under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. Bridget Allen, Lewistown, wrote three songs and entered one in the contest. Bridget and her husband, RB Powell, formerly of Leraysville, will perform at the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center's April concert featuring classic bluegrass and traditional music and songs. RB on banjo and Bridget on guitar will play and sing for the general public April 7 at 7:30 PM. Two morning programs are scheduled for April 8: a special children's program and a senior-citizens performance.
   • Water's Edge Ministry, a Bloomsburg-based youth/prayer ministry will hold a youth rally March 6 at the Bloomsburg YMCA called the ReBORN IDENTITY Youth Rally. The rally is from 12:30-9:00 PM. There is a $5 registration at the door.  Guest speakers include WGRC Christian Radio's Larry Weidman, Your Loving Choices' Lou Ann Martucci, and keynote speaker and comedian Keith Deltano.       

   • The publisher of the Whole Earth Review, executive editor at WIRED, founder of visionary nonprofits, and writer on biology and business and "cool tools," Kevin Kelly, noted that the worldwide web, as we know it, is only 5,000 days old. He asks, "how can we predict what's coming in the next 5,000 days?" His talk is worth hearing. Head to http://tinyurl.com/623pl4 .   

• Bob Kelsey says he is "getting stronger each day." There was a delay in starting chemotherapy and radiation because of a spot on his spine found during a CT scan. An MRI indicated it is not cancer but a node found in many over 40 years of age. He had his esophagus dilated and now is swallowing much better.  Bob tells his grandchildren that he is the first family member to get a tattoo (5 dots to align radiation). Chemotherapy begins Monday for two hours, then he gets hooked up to fanny pack of constant chemotherapy for the next five weeks, followed by radiation for the next five weeks. Bob's is working hard to get well so he and his wife can return to the rehabilitation of the Stillwater schoolhouse, http://mysite.verizon.net/kelsey50/ . Bob's address is 424 Long Avenue, Langhome, PA 19047.

   • The joggers in today's pop quiz would be at it for 12 minutes before Charlie would overtake and pass Bernard.

 One of the favorite people in my life as I was growing up was Sue Laubach, wife of Earl "Pops" Laubach, a mathematics teacher in the Benton schools. Sue had many earthy sayings, including one of my favorites said about people she had a momentary dispute with, "You don't have the brains that God gave an oyster cracker."

Here in Florida, the word "cracker" has a different meaning, although I find it more in the upper parts of the state than in the Treasure Coast area. Early Florida settlers had few slaves and very little land, but owned a lot of livestock. They grazed their livestock on "open range," unclaimed public land, at no charge, a policy that continued until after the Civil War.A fence law was enacted by Florida state legislators in 1950, but before that cattle roamed free over much of Florida. Herds consisted of "scrubs," hardy range animals which survived on course forage, tolerated the heat and developed immunity to diseases. Heavier stock sometimes walked themselves to death trying to find something to eat. Cattle formed herds consisting of an old bull, a couple of young bulls and a few dozen cows, calves and steers. It was usually impossible to predict where the herd would be found, although in the winters they were usually in the woods (known as hammocks) where they survived in part by eating the Spanish moss off the trees.The cattle roamed free over the state, grazing as they pleased, branded and earmarked to show ownership. Earmarks and brands were registered at the local courthouses and each cattle-herder had his own brand.The herd was rounded up at market time using long whips that were "cracked" to get the cows moving. This is one version of the derivation of the term Florida cracker.

Another version of "cracker" comes from the “corn crackers” of the Florida backwoods who used cracked-corn mash, which after fermentation, they distilled into “white lightning.”  

So whether cracker comes from the sound of a cracking whip or the cracking of dry corn, most dictionaries choose to define it as "one of a class of poor whites in parts of the southeastern United States, especially in Georgia and Florida." The word is used by and for Southerners, mostly rural, many of whom self-identify proudly as crackers.

The word "cracker" is mostly considered a negative word and in Florida the word cracker when used as a racial epithet is a violation under the Florida Hate Crimes Act.

That Florida-born natives have come to be known as Crackers has little to do with the word’s original meaning. Migrating Northerners and out-of-staters comprised some of the earliest and hardiest Cracker stock in the state.

Fred L. Bardo (March 28, 1952-February 23, 2010), Benton, died Tuesday at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where he was a patient since Thursday. He was 57. Fred was born in Bloomsburg. He was a son of Leroy and Freda E. (Brown) Bardo. He was last employed as an upholsterer for Decorator Industries, Bloomsburg. Surviving are a son, Fred L. Bardo, Jr. (Rita), Sweet Valley; a daughter, Tammy K. (Steven) Krolick, Benton; five grandchildren; a brother, Walter L. Bardo, Palmyra, NY; and a sister, Alberta, (William) McHenry, Benton. Fred was preceded in death by four brothers: Perry Leonard Bardo, Adrian Bardo, Charles Bardo and Thomas Bardo; and by a sister, Kathryn Karns. Graveside memorial services will be held on Saturday at 2 PM in Bethel Hill Cemetery, Fairmount Township, Luzerne County. There will be no viewing. Arrangements are by the Kriner Funeral Home, Benton.

 

 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 24, 25, and 26, 2010  

The following is for anyone who needs to write something and need to co-author it. It might be a church bulletin, an announcement for the Benton News you would like help creating or a community event. If you go to http://typewith.me/ and start a new document you'll be taken to a new website where friends, colleagues, co-workers or anybody else you might wish to collaborate with on-the-spot can meet. It's perfect for meetings, classes, lectures, conferences or any scenario which might require you to journal thoughts and ideas with others without hassle. It is a little like a chat room for people who need to create a public document. The text is synchronized as you type, so that everyone viewing the page sees the same text. This allows you to collaborate seamlessly on documents via your web browser. Try it.

Quickies...
   • Andy Borowitz wrote yesterday the reputation of the Toyota Motors Corp. received another black eye as the president of the embattled company missed his scheduled appearance at Congressional hearings after he overshot Washington, D.C. by 150 miles. Toyota president Akio Toyoda said he was having difficulties with the brakes on his 2010 Toyota Prius, which finally came to rest after crashing into a blacksmith’s shop in Colonial Williamsburg. In a brief statement to reporters, Mr. Toyoda said, “I knew I should’ve driven my Chevy today.”   

• Ora Karns will celebrate her 97th birthday Saturday, February 27.  Ora would love to hear from her friends. She is in the Bloomsburg Health Care Center, 211 East First Street, Bloomsburg, PA  17815. She is in room 1A. Get a card in the mail to her today.   

• Don't despair. It will only be a matter of weeks before boys begin to feel gallant and girls begin to feel buoyant. Spring fever is coming. It really is!

If we were to go back to a year in the dim past and look at the land prices in Florida, we would be in for a shock. In 1884, to pick a year, we consulted St. Albans Daily Messenger of March 28. Land near Orlando sold for $1.25 an acre, when it was sold. Land could be bought within six or seven miles of Orlando at $20 an acre, sometimes less. Prices were higher in and near town. In Orange County near railroad lines, prices ranged from $2 to $10 an acre. What did you get for these prices? In Orange county, the land ranged from swamp, flat woods, varying grades of "pine land," and what the local called "hammock land." Pine land would grow oranges, assuming that a lot of fertilizer was used. Without fertilizer, the land would not grow any vegetables or farm produce. The high hammock seemed to be the best for growing things. It was covered with a couple of inches of leaf mold which proved to be very nutritious when plowed under.Early settlers in Florida didn't consider the alligator much of a threat. The critters kept mostly out of sight. Mosquitoes were a problem at night during part of the year. Fleas and gnats were usually present.

In 1884, roads were all sand, and easily navigated except during the rainy season. The roads were covered by 1917 by "pine needles, clay, gravel, shells, oil or anything that happens to be handy and cheap." The roads cost a few hundred dollars per mile. The roads "looked magnificent when new" and wore for perhaps a year. It took a number of years before road builders began building roads with solid foundations and modern drainage and grades.

Today, travelers coming South into the Sunshine State travel at 70 miles per hour on I-95 or I-75 or the Florida Turnpike to reach the further limits of the state. I-4 runs from Daytona Beach on the east coast to Tampa Bay on the west coast. These highways give access to every city and township in central Florida. Travel was not always this easy.By 1917, the Miami Herald Record recorded that the "road from Tampa to Miami is fully 80% new, hard highway and most of the remaining 20% is scheduled for improvement." The population of Florida in 1917 was only a little more than that of St. Louis at that time.Northern tourists coming to Florida for the first time encountered foliage and flowers by the roadside that were in stark contrast to flowers seen anywhere else in the United States. The live-oak trees bedecked in Spanish moss and the palmettos lining the roads prompted many a letter to friends and family "up north" about the beauty of Florida.

But the sight that made letters fly home to Mother Maude and Cousin Clara began about 50 miles north of Miami, extending south to Homestead and Florida City some 40 miles south of Miami, where the highway joined the Ingraham Highway--constructed between 1915 and 1919 as an overland route between Royal Palm State Park and Flamingo, a settlement on the shore of Florida Bay where the backcountry of the Everglades became accessible. Like hubs on a wheel, roads led from Miami in all directions inviting strangers to spend more time exploring in Florida.

A local newspaper expressed concern that when motorists were forced to leave a road for a detour, the exit was marked only by a tree or some other obstruction drawn across the road. Strangers complained that they would head down a long straight road for half a mile, only to be turned back by a gang of road builders. Many of the detours were through heavy sand. Some felt that engineers designed and built the roads, but the detours were left to the engineering ability of the foreman.In 1916, the Manatee River Journal reported that 34 counties in Florida had issued bonds for a total of $13,723,421 for good roads. The Federal Government reported that Florida was expending more per capita for good roads than any other state in the union.

As Paris was being bombed by German zeppelins for the first time during World War I in 1916, Floridians were building three highways: the Dixie highway from Savannah to Jacksonville and from Macon to Atlanta to Jacksonville and from Jacksonville down the east coast to Miami. The Old Spanish Trail, from Miami to Jacksonville and to Pensacola and on to Los Angeles, California, became the principal east and west highway, and the Florida state highway, down the central western part of the state was the third.

Florida's plan was simple. The state-road commission wanted full power over all highways and went to the Florida legislature for a law which would give full power over all main highways; consolidate all automobile taxes into one tax; half of the state convicts would be used in road work; power to maintain a road patrol system would be vested in one authority. A primary construction material was decided upon: "good roads" would be constructed with sand clay while others, especially those on the main highways were to be constructed with bricks.Further south in Miami, the Herald Record noted that John Sewell, then superintendent of grading work at the Hotel Royal Palm, then under construction, discovered that the native stone when pulverized and packed while wet formed a natural cement of low grade and made a good road for light traffic.

It didn't take long to realize that the economy of Florida was dependent on its roads. The next step was to build a roadbed of crushed rock, spread over by a hot application of liquid asphalt containing about 75% asphalt, and then covering this, while freshly laid, with a coating of sand, while was swept into the sticky mixture until no more could be absorbed. A short time afterward another coating of the same material was used, and perhaps a third.A new day had arrived. People could get in and out without a wearisome drive over sandy roads. Villages sprung into existence at railroad stations, with stores, banks and newspapers. Then came the schools and churches. Work was plentiful. Farm labor and mechanical labor were in demand and got paid well. Florida geared up to become a popular destination point.

Bless this house, oh Lord we cry,
Please keep it cool in mid-July.
Bless the walls where termites dine,
And ants and roaches march in time.
Bless our yard where spiders pass
Fire ant castles in the grass.
Bless the garage, a home to please
Carpenter beetles, ticks and fleas.
Bless the love bugs, two by two,
The gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you.
Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,
In Florida, Lord, you've put them all!
But this is home, and here we'll stay,
So thank you Lord, for insect spray.
-Author Unknown

 

February 23, 2010. It is the birthday of Bill Bailey, Jesse Young, Geraldine Laubach and Jim Laubach. Baroque composer George Frideric Handel was born on this day in 1685 in Germany. The Messiah was probably his most highly-esteemed work. He cranked that music out in one intense 24-hour period in 1741. Dick and Janet Kriebel and Arnold and Jolene (Campbell) Stackhouse celebrate their wedding anniversaries. The Stackhouses celebrate 55 years of marriage. They were married by Rev. William Price at the "old" Town Hill Methodist church.

Quickies...   

• Are you a "turbo-charged cheetah," a "rocketing rabbit," a "bobbing bobcat," an "ambling armadillo," or a "sluggish snail?" Test your average reaction time, but be careful--this is addictive. Go here and try your luck.    • A newspaper editor in Florida wrote, "It is years since we have experienced such a thing as winter." After the paper went to press, the editor committed suicide, according to the Rochester Express in its edition of March 25, 1882. The suicide took place simply because the composer had set up the last word as "water" instead of "winter."  

• Most men believe it would benefit them if they could get a little from those who have more. It would benefit them greater if they would learn a little from those who know more.   

 • We applaud the decision of the Benton Area Schools to make their proceedings more open to interested parties. The school will publish upcoming agendas and approved minutes on their web site. The Benton News will publish the link immediately following the posting of changes in order that you can stay informed.    

• The Class of '57 of the Benton Area Schools met in reunion in Port St. Lucie, Florida, February 19-22. Pictures are posted at http://tinyurl.com/yhgzu5u . As a group, these former hot wires seemed pretty well grounded but worked up frequent sparks of enthusiasm at the prospect of a mid-day snack or "four-square" meals. Other members of the class called in to say "hello." Allen Roberts was in Corpus Christi, Texas, Dayne Sharek in Venice, Florida, and others reported in. Members of the class who attended were from Benton, Lightstreet, Stuart and Ocala, Florida. Everyone agreed that it should become an annual Florida event. These old codgers wore me out so much that the subject promised for today will be postponed until another day. I am going to bed early, although I need to get a rant out of the way first. 

Mexico has a speckled history of problems in defaulting on its foreign obligations. It happened in the 19th century, in August 1982 and again in January 1995. The United States helped out with a financial-rescue package. But we won't single out Mexico.  

Germany went through the problem in 1932, China did the same in 1939, and in more recent times so did Turkey, Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa and Pakistan. Many didn't think it could happen to a country the size of Russia, but it did--in 1998! Argentina defaulted in 2001. Greece, Spain and Portugal are likely to experience debt defaults this year. 

But wait! As Americans we think we're twice the world power and financial guru of any other country. What are we going to do about the debt crisis that Washington has got us into? According to the guys with visors over their eyes who count these sort of things, our country has a $60 trillion load of unsecured obligations--direct, unconditional, unsecured and unsubordinated obligations.

Now wait! I am not done. We have interest-bearing debts in excess of $15 trillion, a yearly deficit of $1.6 trillion, and on top of that we simply owe the rest of the world almost $5 trillion. Our two major polarized parties in this country need a swift kick in the seat of the pants--and if you and I were talking face to face, I would use a stronger term! You'll know who I am talking about without naming names, but one side vows to never cut Social Security or Medicare while the other side won't stand still for a tax hike and yet if this were happening at a dollar level we could understand--let's say in our own pocketbook--we would be kicking and screaming to get financially healthy by tackling the debt head-on. We would reduce spending, cut out the pork in our budget, try to work toward balancing our budget and everyone in the family would get together and decide what is best for the family. Does anyone see any attempt to do that at the national level?

For those of us who live in a place where the good old boys in Washington don't give a darn about, we know that interest rates have to soon climb through the roof and were not surprised last week when the Federal Reserve raised its interest rates--something that will be, as the Wall Street Journal  put it, "ominous for bonds."  

Expect that rates on car loans and home mortgages will soon begin to surge. If you owe money on your house and it is via an adjustable-rate loan or if you have a mortgage with a balloon note, run to the lending institution and get into a fixed-rate mortgage. Watch for changes in investment taxes. Expect that housing and auto sales will soon tank. Again. Assume that your private-pension fund or your retirement fund may not be around two years from now. As a minimum, expect that the market value of your portfolio is going to take a major hit within the next two years.

And on top of all this, throw into the mix a worry about the ability of the government of the United States to survive a crisis where our country loses its triple-A rating because politicians worry about their job security so much that they shield Americans from the pain of making a sacrifice.

You're going to hear a lot of solutions offered up, but if you realize that it wouldn't work if you tried their solution in your own budget know that it won't work at the national level. If the government won't bite the bullet as you would do if you were repairing your own checkbook, know that you are going to end up facing the consequences.

You don't have to go far to see the problems. Look at the $288 million financial turmoil of Harrisburg and watch for the city to declare itself financially distressed under Pennsylvania’s Act 47.

Didja ever think that a fine is a tax for doing wrong
and that a tax is a fine for doing well?

 

 

February 22, 2010. It is the birthday of Shelly Eichenlaub Charles, Marlin Reichenbach, Veronika Guinther, Bill Bennett, Clayton Ackerman and the Father of Our Country, George Washington. During Washington's lifetime, people in both Great Britain and United States switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. People born before 1752 added 11 days to their birth dates. Those born between January 1 and March 25, as Washington was, also added one year. By the time Washington became president in 1789, he celebrated his birthday on February 22 and listed his year of birth as 1732.

Quote of the Day...
"My movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit, who is going to the place of his execution."
--George Washington 

Quickies... 

On February 20, Benton High School wrestling competed in the East Central Sectional Tournament held at Benton Elementary School. Here are the final team scores, thanks to Brian Hart:

1. Benton - 179

2. Muncy - 163.52. Warrior Run - 163.54. Hughesville - 1195. Central Columbia - 1056. Bloomsburg - 807. Columbia Montour Vo-Tech - 338. Sullivan County - 20

9. Sugar Valley - 17

Here are Benton's individual results:
  103 Lbs  Matt Welliver,  Benton  FALL  Bob Christiansen,  Central Columbia  f 1:31      
  103 Lbs  Matt Welliver,  Benton  FALL  Darren Heddings,  Warrior Run  f 2:40      
  103 Lbs  Matt Welliver,  Benton  FALL  Brandon Yohn,  Muncy  f 5:09      
  112 Lbs  Colt Cotten,  Benton  FALL  Ron Dingle,  CM Vo-Tech  f 2:20      
  112 Lbs  Colt Cotten,  Benton  MAJOR  Jake Fry,  Hughesville  16-5      
  119 Lbs  Michael Rhone,  Benton  FALL  Cody Asher,  Hughesville  f 0:11      
  119 Lbs  Michael Rhone,  Benton  FALL  Jared Hahn,  Bloomsburg  f 1:05      
  119 Lbs  Michael Rhone,  Benton  MAJOR  Heath Strickland,  Muncy  9-0      
  125 Lbs  Coltin Fought,  Benton  FALL  Jeff Stroup,  Warrior Run  f 0:55      
  125 Lbs  Coltin Fought,  Benton  FALL  Garrett Graham,  Bloomsburg  f 3:22      
  130 Lbs  Wesley Gottschall,  Muncy  TF  Kyle Doud,  Benton  21-3, 6:00      
  130 Lbs  Kyle Doud,  Benton  FALL  Jacob Snook,  Sugar Valley Charter  f 0:44      
  130 Lbs  Kyle Doud,  Benton  DEC  Alan Evans,  Bloomsburg  9-2      
  130 Lbs  Brad Hain,  Warrior Run  FALL  Kyle Doud,  Benton  f 3:40      
  135 Lbs  Troy Hembury,  Muncy  FALL  Derrian Metzinger,  Benton  f 0:37      
  135 Lbs  Derrian Metzinger,  Benton  DEC  Jesse Rake,  CM Vo-Tech  8-6      
  135 Lbs  Mike Roosa,  Central Columbia  FALL  Derrian Metzinger,  Benton  f 0:52      
  145 Lbs  Demetrius Starr,  Central Columbia  DEC  Jared Kline,  Benton  12-9      
  145 Lbs  Jared Kline,  Benton  FALL  Dakota Graves,  Sugar Valley Charter  f 1:15      
  145 Lbs  Jared Kline,  Benton  FALL  Austin Hack,  Bloomsburg  f 3:11      
  145 Lbs  Demetrius Starr,  Central Columbia  FALL  Jared Kline,  Benton  f 4:11      
  152 Lbs  Devon McMahon,  Benton  DEC  Andrew Hess,  Central Columbia  7-6      
  152 Lbs  Tyler Hain,  Warrior Run  FALL  Devon McMahon,  Benton  f 2:17      
  152 Lbs  Devon McMahon,  Benton  FALL  Quinton Cooper,  Hughesville  f 4:42      
  152 Lbs  Tony Tarlecky,  Bloomsburg  DEC  Devon McMahon,  Benton  3-0      
  160 Lbs  Eric Hess,  Benton  FALL  Damon Yocum,  Warrior Run  f 0:46      
  160 Lbs  Eric Hess,  Benton  FALL  Adam Gochnauer,  Muncy  f 1:37      
  171 Lbs  Jake Mankey,  Benton  FALL  Jamie Strausser,  CM Vo-Tech  f 2:24      
  171 Lbs  Jake Mankey,  Benton  MAJOR  Matt McAndrew,  Warrior Run  13-4      
  171 Lbs  Jake Mankey,  Benton  DEC  Remington Weigle,  Bloomsburg  3-2      
  285 Lbs  Tyler DeMott,  Benton  FALL  Kyle Collins,  Sugar Valley Charter  f 4:31      
  285 Lbs  Tyler DeMott,  Benton  FALL  Larry Sampson,  Central Columbia  f 0:46

Benton will advance seven wrestlers to the District IV tournament on Friday, February 26, and Saturday, February 27, at Williamsport High School.  Please check www.bentontigerswrestling.com for more information about district competition.

 Presbyterians were not strangers to the Upper Fishing Creek valley. Local Presbyterians worshiped in an Episcopal church in what was once called "Sugar Loaf," or Coles Mills, from about 1812. The deed of St. Gabriels church reveals that the structure was for "Lutherans, Presbyterians and Episcopalians." For about two years, the Presbyterians also met in the Benton Town Hall on Third Street.

Caroline Geiser McHenry donated a plot of ground adjacent to the covered bridge over Fishingcreek at First (now Park) and Market Streets. In 1902, construction of a church building began. The wood and brick building with buttresses of stone and brick burned to the ground May 16, 1913, leaving only partially standing an outer shell of brick. The original church that burned was replaced by the present church building in 1915. A manse was built three years later by the Benton and Raven Creek congregations on a lot next to the church. Benton's manse was later sold. The building is now owned by Starla Grassley.The Orangeville, Benton and Raven Creek Churches banded together in 1919, with the Rev. Samuel Moody as pastor.

Until the pastorate of Rev. Moody, the three churches received aid from presbytery, but after this grouping was made, they became a self-supporting group. Orangeville's manse was later sold.The schedule of preaching gave Benton three evening services and one morning service a month, Orangeville two morning services and Raven Creek one morning and one evening service a month. This arrangement lasted until sometime before 1925. Raven Creek had no services when weather and roads were bad. Pastor Barber arranged for thirty services a year and the church then received three services a month, allowing for the services "which were missed on account of weather and road conditions."

Rev. and Mrs. Barber invited the elders and their wives from the three churches to spend occasional evenings at the manse. The ladies participated in their social time while the elders held a business meeting. An elder was elected as clerk of the joint session. Meetings were held at Benton in the fall, Orangeville in the winter, and Raven Creek in the spring. That schedule of meetings was maintained for eight years. The wives of the elders set the date and served simple refreshments, while the ladies of the other churches provided the social period.

During the 1960s, the Benton Presbyterian Church remained in a yoke with Orangeville, Raven Creek and New Columbia, in what was known as the Fishing Creek Larger Parish. New Columbia was the first to drop out and in 1972 Raven Creek dropped out and the Benton Church purchased the Raven Creek share of the manse. Orangeville withdrew in the 1970s. Orangeville merged with the United Church of Christ and the church building was sold to the Columbia County Historical Society. The building on Main Street is now privately owned.
 --Consult The Presbyterian, an Evangelical Weekly, of June 23, 1938,  published in Philadelphia, for additional information.

 

 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 19, 20 and 21, 2010. Expect windy/breezy weather through the weekend, with snow arriving about Monday afternoon.

Quickies...   

• Will you please rob me! This should be the title of Tweeter posts as people announce to the world where they are at any one moment. The old concept of reporting what was happening in a person's life has gone by the wayside in favor of reporting where people are at any given moment.    

• Think you are going to have a rough day? What 'bout the day that Tiger Woods is going to have? He has called a morning press conference for 11 Friday where he will not answer any questions, but will apparently apologize for multiple transgressions with multiple sex partners. We hope that details will be kept to a minimum...    

• The latest adventures of Hitler and the Pennsylvania Game Commission can be viewed here.     

• It isn't warm Back Home in Benton, PA, but it is a far cry from mid-February in 1913 when Rev. W. L. Burrell, pastor of the Christian Church immersed two converts in the waters of Fishingcreek as the temperature sunk close to the zero mark. "The ice was cut in the Benton dam and in four feet of water the immersions were made, converts remaining the water during prayer and singing," according to the Wilkes-Barre Times.  

   • Keep Laura Gould in your prayers. She is scheduled for surgery Friday at Geisinger Medical Center. A hand specialist and orthopedic surgeon will insert “a bunch of hardware” into the right hand, then insert pins and a small rod along the “pinky” finger bone in her left hand. Recovery will be long but the outcome should be good.

It's winter in Pennsylvania
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Pennsylvania
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Pennsylvania
I'm frozen to the ground.
--Seen on the internet

Contestants on "American Idol" Wednesday night saw dreams either come true or dashed, as Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres passed judgment on the final 24 contestants--12 females and 12 males. Tuesday, February 23, is women's night and then the men duke it out on Wednesday, February 24. The first live-results show will take place on Thursday, February 25, on FOX, as two more women and two more guys are sent home.

Sullivan County favorite Aaron Kelly, 16, is one of the ones who made it. From the days when his aunt and uncle prevented social services from taking him away from his biological parents, through last Bloomsburg Fair when he gave free concerts Saturday and Sunday, to the Top 24 of "American Idol" has been quite a ride. Video of his early appearances are available for viewing here and here. His home page is www.aaronkellymusic.com/  . His rendition of "Crazy" is found here.

Quote of the Day:"If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business,that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months."--Indiana Democratic U. S. Senator Evan Bayh 

The members of the Benton Area School Board are...
Robert Ridall, President
Gerri Newhart, Vice President
Kelly Gavin
Brandon Hartman
Bruce Hess
Rick Posey
Steve Tyree
Lance Wolfe
Dana Sarnoski 

Are You Lonesome Tonight, the senior version, is available for listening and viewing here.  

On February 16, 2010, Benton wrestling defeated South Williamsport 48-13. The match started at 215:

Benton Boys Wrestling's next competition is East Central Sectional Tournament which will be held Saturday at Benton elementary school. Start time is 9 AM, with the finals/3rd place bout beginning at 6 PM.

Ruth Steffey contacted the Columbia County Historical & Genealogical Society to see if anyone could identify the church shown to the left. Ruth felt that it was in either Columbia or Luzerne Counties, "possibly in Benton or Huntington Townships."

The couple in the picture are Ruth's grandparents, Mary Ellen (Mae) Altemus Taylor and Charles William Taylor. The date and location are unknown. We asked for reader's help. Several offered suggestions. What we considered the best suggestion was the Harveyville Methodist Church, shown here on the left.

Thanks to Sheila Brandon, former webmeister of the Lower Luzerne web site, for this photo.

 

 

Wednesday and Thursday, February 17 & 18, 2010.

Quickies...
   • Agendas for the Benton Area School board and the minutes of that organization are published here.
   • The Guv's proposed state transportation budget is heavily dependent on money from tolling of I-80, a continuing effort of the state since 2007.    

• Volunteer-tax preparers will be at the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center four times during the 2009 tax-preparation season to help working families file their state and federal taxes, thanks to the Berwick Area United Way. Appointments are required. Call 759-1005. The dates are February 27, March 10, March 27 and April 4, 2010.   

• The Columbia Montour AVTS Spring craft show takes place on Saturday, March 6, from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Columbia Montour AVTS, Bloomsburg. More than 100 crafters have been invited to this event to display home decor, holiday-gift items, wood crafts and jewelry.  Food services will be available. Proceeds from the event will benefit high-school students in the Skills USA organization to offset expenses of attending local, state and national trade and leadership competitions. The Columbia-Montour AVTS is four miles North from Bloomsburg on Route 11. Turn left at Bloomsburg Carpet Industries on Wolf Hollow Road. Take the first right onto Sweppenheiser Drive.

   • The Indian Artifact Collectors organization of the northeast hosts a small Indian artifact show for PP&L at the PP&L Information Center every February. This year it is Saturday, February 27, from 9 until 2. It is usually well attended with a lot of Indian artifacts, some really knowledgeable people to talk with and some flint knappers doing demonstrations. This year should be a little different. Organizer Bill Venzendy invited a collector who specializes in French Indian War artifacts to set up a table along with other Indian-artifact collections. The collector has a collection any museum would be envious of and most of the items are local to Northeastern Pennsylvania. The gentleman is a little older and this may be the only chance you may get to see some of his stuff in your lifetime. There is no charge. His collection consists of spike tomahawks some with original handles, peace medals made for the Indians from the King of England, muskets, trade items, and almost anything used in the French & Indian War in the time-frame of the mid 1700's. Most are extremely rare. The show is at Susquehanna Energy Information Center, 634 Salem Boulevard, Berwick. 

• For those interested in jacking up the price of natural gas, the cold weather of this prolonged Winter has been just what the doctor ordered. Inventories are being used up. The U.S. Energy Information Administration announced that inventory withdrawals exceeding a half trillion cubic feet were the highest for a two-week period in the agency’s 16-year history of collecting data.  

 • Katie Knorr suggested that I visit www.roadfood.com , a site she consults to find good food when she travels. It is from that source that the following tip comes: When you order a cheese steak, "lest you commit the heinous error John Kerry made in 2004 and order yours with brie cheese or something equally communistic, make sure you ask for 'Whiz,' as in Cheese Whiz." If you want onions, don't say, "I would like some onions, please." You say, "Wit'" (or "Wit'out)." The proper greeting within 50 yards of a true cheese-steak vendor, is not "Hello." It is "Yo.") 

 • The results of the weekend gun show are impressive! The "through-the-door" attendance was 1,518. The Benton Volunteer Firemen thank all the people who donated baked goods and assisted in any way, plus a special thanks to everyone who attended.

Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau (CMVB) has relocated two staff members to its Montour County office at 316 Mill Street, Danville in space shared with the Iron Heritage Festival (IHF). The CMVB and IHF will host a special open house Friday, February 19, from 11 AM to 2 PM. Discover all the attractions and events that are hidden in our own backyard, pick up a new road map and grab a cup of homemade soup.  The Visitors Center also displays information on attractions and events in other counties across the state of Pennsylvania.The CMVB, with help from Knoebels Amusement Resort, will be giving away $1,000 in Knoebels ride tickets ($10 per family) to the first 100 families to the center.  IHF will also be handing out 20% off coupons for any pottery in the store, as well as raffling off a 2009 commemorative basket, valued at $42.

The holiday organized to honor two American presidents and make money for car dealers and department stores replaced the celebration of the birthday of George Washington on February 22 and threw Lincoln's February 12 birthday into the mix.

The holiday has a local flair. Virginia only recognizes Washington's birthday and in Florida state workers didn't get the day off. Massachusetts honors all their native sons who eventually resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue:  John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John Kennedy. Alabama has a second Presidents' Day--the second one to remember Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America who had little time for the U.S. Constitution.

 

 

Monday and Tuesday, February 15-16, 2010.

   February 15, President's Day. Benton Area schools, banks and the post office are closed. It is the birthday of Laura (Sones) Kocher, Jacob Vincent, Marge Shoemaker and Barbara Henne. Joan and Keith Gilbert celebrate their wedding anniversary.     

 February 16, the birthday of Richard Jost, Mabel Lawson, Gianna Dressler and Lori Andrysick. This is the second anniversary of the passing of Elsie Parkhurst Buyers. 

Quickies...   

• Snowverkill or snowverload or whatever you choose to call the current situation is creating a lot of cabin fever, if I am correctly reading my emails.

It's easy to sit in the sunshine
And talk to the man in the shade,
It's easy to sit in a well-made boat
And tell others just where to wade.

It's easy to tell the toiler
How best to carry his pack,
But you'll never know the weight of the load
Until the pack is on your back.
--Author unknown

"Once and done," Father would say when he told me to do something and didn't intend to repeat what he had said. Once said, immediately remembered! The words had the effect of law. Father sometimes used those words about something etched in his memory, something in his life that made a huge impression on him.  So I wonder when he would have sensed--if Father were still alive--that what we are being told locally about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) isn't quite the story that is emerging nationally?

For those who have been off tilting windmills, fracking is a common drilling process used by oil and natural-gas companies. A video of the process in Lycoming County is available here.

A chemical mixture of sand and at least a million gallons of water per well--plus  who knows how many other chemicals--are pumped deep into the earth to break rock and speed the release of the natural gas. The industry standard is that about 10% of the gas in place is recovered with the first fracking of a well. Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection reports that in 2011--a year from now--an estimated daily amount of 19 million gallons of wastewater from oil and gas wells in the form of hydraulic fracturing will be upchucked from the earth in the Commonwealth. Talisman Energy USA, drilling just North of Sullivan County in Bradford and Tioga Counties, claims to recycle 100% of its fracking fluids as it moves from site to site. Wastewater from other drilling sites will soon be taken to a recycling center for treatment. 

TerrAqua Resource Management LLC of Williamsport has been given a permit to treat and discharge 400,000 gallons per day of gas-well drilling wastewater. The discharge permit requires TerrAqua to monitor for radioactivity--and for barium, strontium, iron, manganese and aluminum, as well as organics such as toluene, benzene, phenols, ethylene glycol and surfactants. The water in the bowels of the earth is not all sweetness and goodness. It frequently contains natural toxins and potentially can contaminate streams, springs and wells used as sources of drinking water in rural communities.

Bills in both the House and the Senate demand the release of the names of all chemicals used in the drilling process. The list of chemicals is now protected under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 2005.  In Louisiana, 17 cows died after drinking water that had been fracked. Spills in Susquehanna County in Pennsylvania and in Doddridge County in West Virginia brought environmental concerns into discussion.

Russia's Gazprom, the world's largest gas company, entered the discussion by suggesting that the US Environmental Protection Agency will raise concerns about potential contamination of drinking water in a forthcoming report. Read that report at Telegraph.co.uk by going here.

We are starting to realize that "once and done" may not apply in the case of fracking. Well--yes--I admit that we are being told that the number of wells drilled equals the numbers of well fracked and that refracking is not a "common event." Not a common event? Getting my hair cut isn't a common event, either! As we learn more, lights seem to go on inside our heads.

Refracking of a well, using data obtained from vertical wells, can increase the well's recovery rate by 8 to 10%. Refracking also increases the amount of water used--some sources claim up to 25% more. Each refract generates new loads of contaminated waste water. Each refrack puts pressures of 6000 to 8000 psi against well casings.  Each refrack reintroduces the possibility of water contamination from spilled or leaked chemicals. Refracking scars the area, reversing the landscaping done after the well went operational. After local data specific to the Marcellus shale is available, we'll know for sure, but until then assume that refracking could occur as often as every three to five years.

Turn to the experts--Halliburton--and consult an article published by that company in January 2007, “Developing Gas Shale Reserves, Advances in Unconventional Gas." You can read this Hart Energy Publication, by going here. The publication notes that "Hydraulic fractures normally grow parallel to the open natural fractures, they intersect only a few of the open fractures, limiting flow rates." In the drilling of the Barnett Shale, wells are refracked as many as 10 times.

"Focus on the Marcellus Shale," by Lisa Sumi, was published in Earthworks in its edition of May 2008, and is available for reading here. The article was prepared for OGAP, the Oil & Gas Accountability Project. It reported that Devon Energy had a well where production had declined from 2,000 mcfe/day to 500 mcfe/day after 4.5 years. Refracking restored production to 1,600 mcfe/day, declining to 1,000 mcfe/day after 3 months. Refracking possibly doubled the available natural gas from this well.We won't know the cards the area will be dealt until gas drilling begins in earnest when weather permits. There is much good in the upper Fishingcreek valley because of Marcellus. We tend to forget about the possibility of something going wrong. We hope it doesn't happen. Until we are proven wrong, add eyeondrilling@epa.gov to your email address book and document drilling activity which needs additional monitoring. Details and photos are a must. Maintain a "once and done" attitude on keeping an excellent environmental relationship.

 

Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14, 2010

   February 13, the birthday of Edna Bogart, Dorothy Coady and John McMichael. Saturday and Sunday are the days to buy, sell or trade guns and knives at the fire hall on Colley Street. It costs $5 to get in, but parking and door prizes are free. The Benton Volunteer Fire Company benefits. Call 925-5542 if you have questions. Breakfast and lunch are served. The "Sweetheart Dance" scheduled for tonight at The Center has been cancelled.

   February 14, 2010, the birthdays of Laura Hess and Noah Weaver and the wedding anniversary of David and Carolyn Diehl and Bill and Elaine Rogers. Christopher Latham Sholes (February 14, 1819-February 17, 1890) , a U.S. inventor who developed the typewriter, was born on this day near Mooresburg, Montour County, 32 miles from Back Home in Benton, PA. Today is Valentine's Day. Quickies...

    • Didja know that all of our states have lots of white today including Hawaii with snow on some of its mountaintops and wet snow falling in Florida's panhandle? Frank Gough, the Raven Creek weatherman, reports that area has received about 24 inches so far with 9.5 coming on Tuesday. And what is that white spot on the horizon for Monday afternoon?   

• The Department of Environmental Protection issued a system industrial-wastewater discharge permit--a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination permit--Friday to TerrAqua Resource Management LLC, Williamsport, which will permit the company to treat and discharge 400,000 gallons per day of natural gas well-drilling wastewater generated by Marcellus shale drilling in the area. The treatment of dissolved solids, chlorides and sulfates has been a water-quality concern. The press release can be found here.

  • Robert Lee is the guest speaker Monday at the North Mountain Historical
Society. The subject Jim Vance dug up for this month concerns excavating the remains of out houses. The meeting is free and open to the public. Breakfast begins about 8.

   • Matthew Opdyke, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Point Park University, will present a program on the Fishingcreek headwater's Brook Trout Project at the Columbia County Chapter of Trout Unlimited's meeting on Thursday, February 18, at 7 PM at the Ag Center, Bloomsburg. The purpose of the project is "to investigate the decline of native- and stocked-trout populations in Fishingcreek watershed in Columbia and Sullivan Counties and to develop a conservation plan to improve the retention of these fish."   

• The following schedule changes have been made to the Benton Area School's calendar:

"The Bear" is an involved film about animals that will give you a fresh perspective on their world. Take a look at www.flixxy.com/bear-animal-nature-film.htm .

Krysten Ritter dashed off a line from Northern Ireland where she is filming "Killing Bono," a movie about two brothers who attempt to become global rock stars but get overshadowed by the band U2. Krysten will be happy to give her hair a break from all the hair spray! She asked a question many of us have asked over the years--"why did people wear their hair SO BIG in the 80's!"

Krysten flies home Sunday. Monday she starts a US tour to promote "She's Out of My League," which is due in theaters March 10. The tour sounds grueling. Krysten said "We are in a different city every day. I start in Austin, make my way through some other major markets in Texas--Dallas and Houston--and then on to Miami and up the east coast, stopping in Atlanta, D.C. and New York city." The press tour will last three weeks and she will land back in Los Angeles for the premier on March 8.

Krysten's next film is called "Vamps." She will be doing this film with Amy Heckerling in the spring. "Vamps" tells the modern-day tale of two female vampires who live it up in New York until love enters the picture, when each has to make a choice that will jeopardize their immortality. Krysten's "cohort" in the film" will be Alicia Silverstone. Learn more about the film by going here.

The best thing for the heart and soul is to get involved. How 'bout joining the team at The Center to share your time and talents in a new way, while contributing to the success of the Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center. Volunteering for as little as an hour a week can help improve the service and facilities at The Center. Volunteer applications are available at the front desk. Remember that team work makes the dream work!

You may want to become involved in…
Special events
Front desk
Maintenance
Gardening
Library/museum
Kitchen help
Teaching a class
Performing arts
Using other unique skills you possess

I promised a story from Florida in today's edition and the one that I'll tell is about Margaret O'Neale Eaton, the wife of one of Florida's territorial governors, John H. Eaton (1834-1836). According to pictures of him, he was handsome and apparently had a great deal of integrity and ability. As first lady of the Sunshine State, she presided much as she had done when she lived in Washington, D.C. under the name of Peggy O'Neale when she made a vice president fall from grace, prompted a dark horse to succeed him, a national party to split and an entire cabinet to resign.

Margaret (Peggy) O'Neale was born in the first brick house built in Washington, D.C. to a devout Methodist mother and a shrewd businessman father. The parents owned the Franklin House, a boarding-house home to many members of Congress.When Peggy was 13, the first lady, Dolly Madison, honored her as the best dancer in the city. Before she reached 15, she had achieved a certain distinction by virtue (well-perhaps that isn't exactly the right word) of somehow being involved in the death of the nephew of an acting secretary of the Navy, two army officers challenged each other to a duel and an elderly general got himself in a dither. Off she went to New York to a finishing school. When she returned, she argued politics with the best of the politicians.

Buxom Peggy was not only intelligent, but she was beautiful and vivacious. At the age of 16, she married a purser in the U.S. Navy who proposed the day he met her. He spent most of his time at sea and returned only long enough to father two daughters, then off he went in furtherance of his career. It was at this time that Andrew Jackson and Senator John Henry Eaton became best friends with Peggy. A year after her husband died at sea shortly after slitting his own throat and Jackson took office as president, Margaret and Eaton married--living up to Eaton's promise to her Navy husband that he would keep an eye on her. The rumor mill was grinding! Jackson defended Peggy, roaring to his cabinet, "She is as chaste as a virgin!"

Peggy probably did not much like it when her husband left his post as Secretary of War and relocated to Florida, but she certainly loved her job as first lady by talking politics with a good many men. She had a fascination with taking sun baths at a time when a parasol was standard equipment for women.

Jackson appointed Eaton as ambassador to Spain in 1836 and she captured the hearts of many in that country. After Eaton passed away, Peggy, at age 61, married twenty-one year old Antonio Buchignani, her granddaughter's dancing teacher. Less than a year later he eloped to Italy with her granddaughter, and Peggy was forced to work as a dressmaker to support herself.  Peggy Eaton died in November 1879 when she was almost 80. Among the last words she uttered were these: "I am not afraid to die, but this is such a beautiful world to leave."

A lot of details were left out. Want to read more about Peggy O'Neale? Go here.

 

 

Thursday and Friday, February 11-12, 2010. Oh, what a winter! Eight inches of snow in the borough and in Millville Wednesday, seven inches in Picture Rocks, fourteen inches in Carroll Park, six inches in Muncy Valley; Estella, 8" +/-; Dushore/Colley area, 12" +/-. Chris and Amy Vincent, Odenton, Maryland, received 65" of snow total, 50" for "the week-long storm and about 15" for the Dec 19 storm. In Washington, D.C., area governments halted snow removal Wednesday afternoon as wind gusts reached 60 miles per hour.

And speaking of Washington, D.C., didja know that areas of the nation's capitol have received as much as 52 inches of snow in February alone! Pepco, the electric utility for Washington, suspended repair operations Wednesday for the 3,500 homes in the Washington and Maryland suburbs that are still without power from the weekend's storms. Twenty-five percent of the snow plows in the District were reported by the Washington Post as being out of commission at any one time.  Forecasters were eyeing a third storm that could be brewing for next week. Watch for snow accumulation via blowing overnight. The week through Sunday will now be characterized locally by use of the word "cold." The weather forecast is here.

The Washington storm in 1922 collapsed the roof on the Knickerbocker theater and killed more than 90 people, but the talk of the blizzards of 2010, which were not nearly as deadly but set records for the snowiest winters ever in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, will be told for years to come.
Quickies...

   • The Columbia County Conservation District 2010 plant sale has begun! Visit the plant-sale page at www.columbiaccd.org or call 784-1310 x102 for an order form and plant descriptions. There is a variety of native plants to beautify your landscape, conserve water, and attract wildlife. Proceeds help support environmental-education programs. Information on the Columbia County Conservation District plant sale can be found at www.columbiaccd.org/html/plant_sale.html     

• The inspirational music for today is from Massachusetts Republican Senator Brown's daughter, Ayla Brown, a contestant who was eliminated in the American Idol. Ayla sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Boston’s Fourth of July celebration in 2006 while accompanied by the Boston Pops. Go here to listen and enjoy.    

• Have you heard the "buzz" on Google's new product, GoogleBuzz ? The product is somewhat akin to Twitter and Facebook. It is integrated with Gmail and other Google products. You can watch a video at www.google.com/buzz to learn more.

Didja ever think that the greatest waste of money is to keep it?

If someone or something looked at the United States from space, Florida would be its most quickly recognized feature. But more than shape distinguishes the state that Ponce de Leon named after its beautiful flowers. Florida is recognized because so many people want to come here, especially now as an escape from the harsh winter the north is experiencing. The state is divided into the North and the South--with the northern part of the state strictly southern and the southern area definitely northern--or Hispanic.Those of us who are newcomers to Florida soon find out that dyed-in-the-wool genuine Florida Crackers trace their family back to Indian Wars. They are not Johnny-Come-Latelys. Those of us who are recent arrivals stand out as the outsiders.

Few states in the Union have had more and weathered more storms than Florida. Boom and bust is not unusual in the land of sun and fun! A lot of fortunes have been made in Florida--but a lot of fortunes have also been lost. But failure is never permanent unless we make it so--whether it be killing frosts, economic downturns or hurricanes. Floridians seem to pick themselves up much as Henry Ford described when he said something to the effect that "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." All blunders should be forward blunders. We get lots of second chances and we must take advantage of them. This is exactly what the unfortunate people must do who got hammered with the recent snow storms.

Florida was crafted by promoters and developers--men of the ilk and diversity of Ponce de Leon, Flagler and Disney--plus thousands of ordinary men and women who carved cities out of wilderness. Entrepreneurs felt that if something worked, it should be attempted on a bigger scale. We'll tell you some tales from Florida beginning the next time we get together.

Bryan L. Funk (December 9, 1919-February 8, 2010) died Monday at his home in Endwell, New York. He was 90. Bryan was the son of Mr. and Mrs. O. D. Funk, Stillwater. He was born in Stillwater, and was a graduate of Benton High School in the class of 1937. He served with the U.S. Navy during WW II.   He was a member of Elks Lodge 1977 and in that lodge held many offices, including Exalted Ruler. He owned a general store in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, from 1945-55 which included a soda fountain and a store on wheels.  He was a retired retail-sales representative with New York Food Brokers. Bryan was a former employee of IBM and owned and operated the Big "M" Market in Endicott. Bryan was a member of the Endwell United Methodist Church.He is survived by his wife, Jean L. Funk, Endwell; a son, Roger, California; a sister and brother-in-law, Louise and Joe Simington, V.M.D., Berwick; several nieces and nephews

The funeral service will be held at 2 Friday afternoon with friends received preceding at the Coleman & Daniels Funeral Home, 300 E. Main St., Endicott. Burial will be in Riverhurst Cemetery. Those wishing may make contributions to the Endwell United Methodist Church, 3301 Watson Blvd., Endwell, NY 13760; or to Lourdes Hospice,4102 Old Vestal Road, Vestal, NY 13850.

February 8, 9 and 10, 2010. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints as the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV 31-17. My favorite commercial? Leno/Letterman/Oprah Winfrey. See it here.

   February 8, the 39th day of the year with 326 days remaining until the end of the year. It is the birthday of Beverly Kingsbury and the first anniversary of Haymart Furniture, Center Street. Larry and Bert Hayman noted that "we are pleased that Benton was more receptive to our type of store than we ever imagined."

Libby Lewis will return to the Benton area today following her hospital stay.    

February 9, the birthday of Kay Emily Kline, Scott Jones and Ashley Lamoreaux.    
February 10, the birthday of Cheryl Beishline-Pasukinis and Amanda Becker. There will be kindergarten registration for the Benton Area School District Thursday from 8 AM to 8 PM at the L. R. Appleman elementary school. Call the elementary school office at 925-6971 for phone-in registration. Wednesday will be increasingly windy with snow and a high of 28° and a low of 19°.  

Joe "Brooks" Sutliff has been "steaming" in the Drake Passage for more than 24 hours with winds around 70 knots just off the ship's bow and sea ranging from 20 to 30 feet! The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean. Learn more about the rough waters of this part of the world by going here. At one point Sunday night, there was wave spray in the Observation Lounge on deck 12 forward which is nearly 100 feet (in calm seas) above the ocean water level!The ship passed the Antarctic Circle while passengers were having dinner in the main dining room Sunday evening! The ship arrives at Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands Monday for the first sight of land (ice) in nearly two days!"  There is an active volcano on the island. The landscape is mostly volcanic slopes, steaming beaches and ash-layered glaciers. The ship will be able to sail directly into the center of a volcano.

Are you looking for an opportunity to play handbells with other experienced ringers in Columbia county? A community handbell choir is currently being formed under the leadership of music director Alan Hack. The choir is intended for more skilled handbell ringers to grow, learn and promote the art of handbell ringing by providing a high-quality musical experience for diverse audiences. Anyone interested in additional information, please contact Alan at 854-0733 or hack0621 AT verizon.net.

On Saturday, February 6, Benton High School won the District IV Duals and qualified for the PIAA State Duals. Benton was the #14 seed, making them the lowest seed to make the finals and first double-digit seed to make the finals. This is Benton's first ever District IV Duals Team Championship. Ranked #14, Benton defeated #1 Muncy 43-33 in the finals. Earlier in the day, #14 Benton defeated #2 Wyalusing 37-36 in the semi-finals. Benton defeated #6 ranked Towanda 36-27 in the quarterfinals.

Here are the results... Finals: Benton 43 - Muncy 33

Semi-Finals: Benton, 37-Wyalusing, 36

Quarter finals: Benton, 36-Towanda, 27

**Tyler DeMott's win over Travis Chesla was his 100th win.  DeMott is the first heavyweight in Benton's history to achieve this feat!
 --Compiled by Bryan Hart, Assistant Wrestling Coach, Benton

William Sproul McHenry (August 26, 1921-February 7, 2010), Benton, passed away at the Bonham Nursing Center, Register. He was 88. He was born in Benton. He was a son of Wilson Ted and Sarah Elizabeth (Welsh) McHenry. He was a 1939 graduate of Benton High School served in the U. S. Navy in World War II. Mr. McHenry was an engineer/metallurgist and had been employed by the Berwick American Car and Foundry and later for Berwick Forge and Fabricating.  He last worked for the New York Transit Authority.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary (Ball) McHenry, on October 12, 1995. Surviving are his children Dennis D. McHenry (Judy); Patricia M. Houseweart (Gerald); William H. McHenry (Alberta), all of Benton and Michael W. McHenry (Cindy), Berwick. Also surviving are his 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren and his constant companion, his dog, Buddy. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by a son, Bruce McHenry, who died in infancy; a sister, Phyllis (McHenry) Babb and a brother, Robert S. McHenry. Arrangements are by the McMichael Funeral Home. For online condolences or to sign the register book, please go to www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .

February 7, the birthday of Tammy Prosey, former state Representative George Hasay and James Vance. Gloria Mincemoyer is home with her bionic knee. Her leg is slowly improving, thanks to a therapist who comes three times a week to help with therapy and evaluation.  A "bending machine" is in use four hours each day.

Quickies...     
• It is time for another pop quiz, but this one should be a snap for loyal Benton News readers. There isn't a single hard question, although some of the answers may be cause for consternation. Go here and try your knowledge of basic American facts.

   • The Benton High School Class of '57 will hold a get-together in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, on February 20. One of the members who will not attend is Donna Laubach, who was recently discharged from an intensive-care unit in Merida, Venezuela.  Donna had bacterial encephalitis and was in the hospital for eleven days. We wish her a speedy and complete recovery.       

 • Thanks to readers for their many emails on the subject of laptops shutting off. Advice included "go to a store and buy a new one!" The rationale for that suggestion was that "Prices today are so attractive that repairing an older one doesn't make sense unless it is an easy fix." A reader suggested using Piriform Speccy to monitor laptop operating temperatures. One reader had good luck installing "a couple of 1/4" rubber feet to elevate the rear of the computer to allow more air flow and put a small fan to blow air under it." Another reader felt that the laptop fan quit and needs to be replaced. Several others felt that the battery might need replacing. Another possibility is that the inside is dirty and needs to be cleaned (by someone that has done laptops before). Several suggestions were to get a "cooling pad," a thin platform with fans on which to set the laptop. I felt that Teri Castle had the best overall suggestion. She noted that the cooling vents, on her Toshiba are on the bottom of the laptop (mine is also a Toshiba). She liked the idea of cooling pads with fans, chill mats, etc, but Teri solved her problem by placing it on a wire cookie cooling rack. $2.50. No further problems.

Peggy Follmer provided the following information from the Council of Churches...

Let's revisit the recent flash flood in Benton and the surrounding area. January was a cold month until Sunday, the 24th. The weather changed dramatically at that time and it began to rain. Lee Remley recorded 2.75 inches in his backyard rain gauge and outside of the borough amounts to 3.5 inches were recorded. Small streams could not handle the runoff from the accumulated snow and rain and water cascaded over the frozen ground. The small streams flooded the larger streams and as the water flowed down the valley, the situation worsened. A concrete wall, called a "training wall," runs parallel with Park Street east of the Presbyterian Church, downstream of the dam. Severe scouring of the wall took place near the bridge. Mayor Jan Swan described the damage as a "cavern or a cave" that was carved out under the wall. All the rock under the wall, except for the rip-rap at the South end that was put in by Doug Vincent following Hurricane Ivan, was washed away. Half or more of the wall was destroyed. There is nothing supporting the bottom of the wall.

The Borough engineer, FEMA and DeP are very concerned about that because that wall is very important for the safety of the church and a number of houses. In one area the water came in and scoured under the road almost five feet and about five feet in depth. The hole expanded north and south inside 6 to 8 feet. It is not something that is easy to see from the road.

The morning after the flood, Doug Vincent fixed the hole by packing it with concrete. He also repaired the berm. Other repairs on the wall require permission to fix. Rep. Boback and Columbia County emergency prepardness personnel have inspected the problem.

The borough is currently waiting for FEMA to respond in order to determine if Federal help is available. The state must meet a threshold to qualify for federal funding--that amount is in excess of 15 million dollars. There is a threshhold by the county in order to get FEMA help--and that amount is about $200,000.  The borough engineer assessed the cost of repairs to the training wall and the park at a million dollars. The park had damage equal to the flood of 2006. The road through the park is down to gravel and sand. The new road at the concert pavilion was undamaged. There was also dike damage in the Township and in Sugarloaf township. It is the first Sunday in February and time to start thinking about edible gardening in tough economic times, and that happens to be the subject of Kathy Arcuri's article for today...

   While U.S. Census workers gear up to collect important population statistics, an alternative view of the American citizenry caught my eye.   

Last year, according to the Garden Writer’s Association, edibles ruled in the home garden. Thirty-eight percent of American households planted vegetables (including one rather prominent D.C. family), reflecting a significant increase for each of the last several years. In fact, during 2008, Burpee’s doubled its vegetable seed sales

In previous years, gardeners reported growing vegetables “for better tasting food;” but last year, economics drove the uptick, with those surveyed wanting to “supplement the household food supply.”   

What’s growing in all these edible gardens? Well, the aforementioned D.C. family raised a wide array of vegetables and berries, with hoop houses for winter roots and greens, and bee hives for honey. Most edible gardeners limit their plots to summer vegetables, with tomatoes leading the field in popularity. The National Garden Bureau reports that tomatoes are also the most productive crop, followed by lettuce, summer squash, peas, bush beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, and pole beans. Space hogs are corn, melons, winter squash, and pumpkins.   

So what will we grow this year at Skymeadow Farm? Here are some of our favorites:   

• ‘Rattlesnake’ pole beans, tasty and reliable, win out over bush varieties for ease of picking and length of yield. 

 • ‘Beautiful ‘Rhubarb’ chard will make its way into salads and sautés all season long.  

• ‘Burpee’s ‘Ruby Queen’ sweet corn is a tasty surprise with its large ears full of deep red kernels. 

 • ‘Kales – mild ‘Red Russian’ and earthy ‘Nero di Toscana’ (Black Tuscan)--will get planted mid-summer for fall and early winter harvest.  

• ‘‘Sucrine" lettuce, a slow-to-bolt baby romaine, is all the rage in New York City restaurants, and here too.  

• Large and sweet ‘Walla-Walla’ onions are a must-have for fresh eating. 

 • Crisp and delicious ‘Big Red’ bell peppers promise better yields than hybrids.  

• Our favorite potato, ‘Carola,’ has buttery yellow flesh and disease-free skin.  

• ‘‘Zucchetta Rampicante-Tromboncino" lives up to its name, a trellised vine overrun with firm nutty summer squash--delicious raw, cooked, or pickled. 

• Finally, tomato choices are a challenge this year after last year’s fungal blight; but we’ll try blight-resistant ‘Legend,’ a very early 8-oz slicer (more on tomato blight next month).

   You may not be a full-fledged vegetarian; but in summer nothing celebrates the season better than fresh-sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil; steamed green beans; roasted corn; grilled summer squash; creamy potato salad with sweet onions and red peppers; and a colorful bowl of lettuce, chard, and baby kale tossed with a light vinaigrette. So make sure you get your seed and plant orders in early for a tasty way to bolster family finances!
 --Kathleen Arcuri

 

 

February 6, 2010, the birthday of Wendy Kriebel and Michael Haydis, plus the "Sultan of Swat," George Herman Ruth, in 1895; Ronald Wilson Reagan, our 40th U.S. President, in 1911; Joan Lucille Olander, in 1931 (known professionally as Mamie Van Doren; television personality Tom Brokaw, in 1940; and attorney Aaron Burr, in 1756. Burr, our third U.S. Vice President killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and was known as a traitor, although he was never convicted. Joseph Priestley, our Northumberland neighbor, died on this date in 1804.The Orangeville Public Library will host a winter-book sale today from 9 AM to 1 PM, weather permitting. And don't forget the free-will contribution breakfast Sunday morning at the Benton Methodist Church from 8 to 9. Oh, that weather! From 9° to 13° each night through Tuesday.

Libby Lewis, 91, was admitted to the Bloomsburg Hospital Wednesday night with pneumonia. Bob and Betty Lewis got one of those phone calls, "I've fallen down, and I can't get up." Luckily, Libby had no broken bones and she didn't argue about staying in the hospital. She will be in Bloomsburg Hospital until Monday then will have two weeks of physical therapy to get her back on the "road." She has a phone at her bedside in room 324, so she is in touch with the outside world. One nurse said she had been on the phone an hour at a time. Sounds pretty normal for someone as well liked as Libby. 

Quickies...  

   • Benton Weight Watchers meetings could come to a stop at the end of February. The numbers have been too low to keep holding meetings--unless membership increases by that time, If the local group has 30 paying members by February 23, the meetings will be allowed to continue. New members joining at Benton can join for $20. The eight weeks for $89 will be extended until February 23, Anyone who has purchased coupons or stamps will be refunded money if the meetings do not go past February 23. Remaining coupons or stamps should be mailed to Weight Watchers in Allentown. If the meetings in Benton end, there are meetings in Berwick on Wednesday nights and Bloomsburg Thursday nights, both 7 to 7:30 PM. Carla Dialer will field questions on this subject at 1-800-428-3437.

   • A reader asked about the two-month cruise that Joe "Brooks" Sutliff is taking. Joe was in Punta Arenas, Chile, Friday. The town is at the most southern point in Chile. The cruise passed hundreds of miles of the beautiful Chilean fjords where there were no signs of human life! The cruise has one last stop in South America on an island that belongs to Argentina. The ship will dock in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. It is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and of the Southern Atlantic Islands Province. From Ushuaia, the ships sails for Antarctica. This is the last 700 passenger ship to sail these waters. Future visitors to the waters of the continent will have to come by much smaller "exploration" ships.     

• The laptop I use here in Florida has decided to shut down each half hour. I suspect a heat-related problem. But if I can't get to the bottom of the problem, I may have to terminate the Benton News since I will not have a computer. Any reader have a suggestion of how to fix the problem?

  • Congratulations to Benton Mayor Jan Swan, who has been appointed as a member of the Bloomsburg Health System Board of Directors. The board oversees the operation of the health system to ensure quality resources and health programs are available for patients.

Today's story of achievement and faith comes via a CNN clip made a few years ago. It shows an internationally recognized prodigy, now 15, considered the only known child binary genius in both realist painting and poetry. Akiane Kramarik has a heavenly inspiration behind her stunning paintings and music! Akiane began drawing at the age of four, painting at six, and writing poetry at seven. For more of her achievements, head here.


The Rev. Howard W. West (February 22, 1925-February 1, 2010), a former resident of Benton when he served the United Methodist Churchs in Benton and Waller from 1977 to 1998, died Monday in Wichita, Kansas, at the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. He was 84. Rev. West was born in Deerfield, Kansas. He was a son of Franklin G. and Nellie (Barnes) West. He was a graduate of Garden City, Kansas, High School in 1943; Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas, in 1948; and Iliff Seminary, Denver, Colorado, in 1953. He was a pastor in the United Methodist Church in Minneola, Kansas, in 1944, and served churches in Kansas, Colorado and Pennsylvania. He loved to play piano/keyboard, harmonica and guitar. He lived in Wichita from May 2008, and in Caldwell, Kansas, for ten years before that.

Rev. West was preceded in death in 1997 by his wife, the Rev. Sue Funk, by a daughter, Mari Sue Crowley; and a brother, Madison West. Surviving are his wife, the former Gweneth McDonald Reeder, and daughters Gweneth West and Jolene West Webb, both of Charlottesville, VA; Lori Vernon (John), Slatington; Rebekah (Brad) Howe, Danville; a stepdaughter, Kay (Kurt) Denton, Kansas; 12 grandchildren, including DeAnne Bergstrom (Nick), Benton; five great-grandchildren; two brothers: Kenneth West and Duane West (Orvileta), and a sister, Janice Trayer (Dennis), all of Kansas; and his former wife, Helen Counsell, Charlottesville, VA.

Funeral services will be Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, at 3 PM in Trinity United Methodist Church, 306 Lombard Ave., Danville. Interment will be next to his late wife, Sue, in New Rosemont Cemetery, Espy. Friends may call at the church on Sunday from 2-3 PM. Arrangements are by the Kriner Funeral Home, Benton. To sign the guest book or to send a message of condolence, please go to www.krinerfuneralhomes.com.

On February 3, in the round of 16, Benton defeated Mount Carmel 41-28. The match started at 145. Using figures from Bryan Hart, assistant coach of Benton wrestling, here are the results...
   103 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by FF
   112 - Matt Welliver (B) won by dec. 6-2 over Michael Saukatis (M)   
   119 - Colt Cotten (B) won by fall 1:54 over Tom Stief (M)
   125 - Michael Rhone won by FF
   130 - Coltin Fought won by Technical Fall 17-2 over Shane Wondoloski (M)
   135 - Nicholas Dusendschine (M) won by major dec. 15-3 over Kyle Doud (B)
   140 - Dylan Hornberger (M) won by fall 0:51 over Derrian Metzinger (M)
   145 - Matt Zigarski (M) won by dec. 5-2 over Jared Kline (B)
   152 - Doug Kraynak (M) won by dec. 10-6 over Devon McMahon (B)
   160 - Eric Hess (B) won by fall 1:20 over Myric Lamb (M)
   171 - Jake Mankey (B) won by dec. 10-5 over Brett Przekop (M)
   189 - Charles Frederick (M) won by FF
   215 - Sean McCollum (M) won by FF
   285 - Tyler DeMott (B) won by fall 1:10 Ahmad Abuomar (M) Benton has advanced to the quarterfinal of District IV Duals.  Benton will take on Towanda Saturday morning at 11 at Milton High School.

 

Thursday and Friday, February 4-5, 2010.

   February 4, birthday of Bill Fricke, Bonnie Bergeron and Miriam Keller Stauder. We have now passed the astronomical midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The sun streaming through the living-room window gets warmer each day. Benton Borough will test a new emergency weather alert siren today at 2 PM.  

 February 5, the birthday of Stephen Whitenight, Walker Rilk, Allison Cross and Dorothy Burlew. Expect snow in the afternoon and into much of Saturday. 

Quickies...
   • Today's music comes from those who are "born again Americans." Are you an active, involved and thoughtful citizen—a Born Again American? Head here .

   • Jim Vance commented on the story of the first water battle as part of the Benton Carnival parade. Jim's thoughts are that "the story is right but I think the year is wrong.  Everyone in it is my age and we were born in 1947. We did a lot of things but I think we were a little older than 6.  I would 'bet my wife' it was Jim Dildine in the convertible the first water balloon was thrown in."

   • Fred DePoe is the AYSO coordinator this year. The Spring registration is Thursday, February 11, and Wednesday, February 17, 5:30 till 7:30 both nights. The place is the LR Appleman elementary school. Players from the fall season are registered for the spring. Only players who did not register in the fall need register for the spring season. Adult volunteers are always welcome to sign up and join in the fun. Parents may contact Fred by phone at 925-6866 or email fdepoeayso AT gmail.com.  

   • The sixteenth amendment to the Constitution legalized federal-income taxes. It was adopted in 1913 as an amendment to a bill in Congress lowering the tariff on imports. The ideas was that the small deficit from reduced tariff receipts could be taken care of by a small tax on prosperous incomes. On incomes from $4,000 to $20,000, the bite was 1%. Few made over $4,000. Few opposed the idea. It simply didn't seem important. Times have changed! Today, many of us forget that "damn" and "taxes" are two separate words. We used to worry that we "couldn't take it with us." Today, we worry if it will last as long as we do. At one time, the difference between death and taxes was that death didn't get worse every time Congress met. In the environment of the past few years, taxes seem generally to go down, but spending goes up. We have arrived at the point where today's dime is simply a dollar with the taxes taken out.

   • When gas drilling begins in our immediate area, drillers will bring with them experience from other Marcellus sites, as well as from the Barnett, Haynesville, Horn River, Woodford and Fayetteville shale plays. We will have beautiful displays in the coming months, much as happened Tuesday with the plume of fire from the drill pipe at the Lairdsville gas-drilling site.  Flames were shooting some 40 feet into the air above the top of the pipe. Reports indicated that we should have three times the number of drilling permits in the Commonwealth in 2010 than we had in 2009 and the number of Department of Environmental Protection will increase the number of overseers to protect the valuable resource of clean and pure water.

    • Do you have a need for speed? If so, fly with the fastest. Fly with the fastest birds on the planet--the Peregrine Falcon & Gos Hawk.

One of two "McHenry Houses" in Stillwater, this one disappeared from the landscape Tuesday.
 

The McHenry House,Stillwater, was at one time owned by the Hon. John G. McHenry and later by John and Naomi McHenry. It is the childhood home of Jules McHenry, Dottie McHenry Rabb and Zane McHenry Unbewust. According to local rumor, blood was once found in a back room of the building and Dottie and Zane both understood that someone had shot themselves in that room. The house was demolished Tuesday and only a bare lot now remains. The house was on the north side of a field which Llewlellen and Ellen McHenry planted in potatoes each year. This was the money the family used "to go to the Fair with." Seventy years ago, the property consisted of approximately 65 acres.

Zane remembers that she was "about in sixth grade" when she moved into the house and she stayed there after she and John married 69 years ago. Donald Rabb and John Unbewust courted the two girls when they lived in that house. Zane always said that "the boys always ran down (from Benton), but had to walk home." Jules was very proud of the fact that the tree that was taken down Tuesday was one he used to escape from the house at night. He could crawl out a window and onto a limb, then shimmy down the tree and make his getaway. He was also proud of the fact that he was able to crawl out a second-floor window and crawl completely around the house holding onto second-floor windows.The house was weathered beyond saving, but the wide plank floors in the house were not rotten even though water penetrated the roof.

The will left by the Hon. John G. McHenry to his attorney son, John, and his wife, Naomi, stipulated that the house could not be sold while either of them were still living. A number of people attempted to buy the house over the years, but it could not be sold.

Starting Monday night, the building was burned and torn to the ground as part of development by local contractor, Rick Idings.

Zane Unbewust stands on the site of her childhood home on the East side of Route 487, Stillwater.

Picture courtesy of Sharon Remphrey

 

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, February 1-3, 2010.

   • February 1, the birthday of Brooke Benjamin, Brooke Nickles and Clint Kline. Greg Sutliff is 19-something years old today. His next "real" birthday will be February 29, 2012, when he will be 20 years old! Gloria Mincemoyer faces knee-replacement surgery in Florida today.

   • February 2, Nelson Fritz, Susan Pawelski, Ruth Frey, Nelson Fritz, and Sandra Kelsey have birthdays today. It is Candlemas Day, known in our Commonwealth as Groundhog Day. I am a "Hah-Humbug" type of person on Groundhog Day so turn to your local newspapers for that notso-hotso event. The Pennsylvania Cable Network aired the non-event live. For the record, Phil concluded that there would be six more weeks of Winter.

   • February 3, the birthday of Rayellen Kisbach Gilles, Amanda V. Hartman, Betty Rabb Helwig, Brian and Brad Albertson.    

Quickies...

   • Benton Borough will test a new emergency weather alert siren on Thursday, February 4, at 2 PM.

   • Didja know that The National Safety Council earlier this month found that one in four US car crashes involves cell-phone distraction. And didja know that the Highway Loss Data Institute, which studies such things, found that crash rates in places with bans in place--California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington D.C.--stayed the same when those bans were implemented.  

   • Mozilla announced that Weave Sync is finally ready for the general market. Using it will allow you to sync your Mozilla web surfing across your desktop, laptop and mobile phone.   

   • On November 2 elections to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives will take place. This will be a golden opportunity to clean house as 36 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate are up for grabs. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election.