January 20, 2002

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
--The Declaration of Independence.

"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."
--New Orleans Saint running back George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season.

What Academy Award-winning actress claims parents who live in Benton PA? (Answer at end)

It probably isn't worth telling Max Hartman about the dangers of falling off a ladder, since he did it last year at this time of the year and broke an ankle. But, wait! He just did it again, down in Florida, and this time he had a cut lip, skinned nose, sore jaw, really bent up glasses and a broken right arm. Lorainne, take that ladder away from that man...

Why do some sausages have meat at one end and corn meal at the other? Because it is hard to make both ends meat.

Winton Laubach wrote, "during my senior year in high school, the winter of '37-'38, our newspapers had been highlighting the manhunt for David Shaeffer, a murderer who had escaped from the state prison. Bruce Sutliff, my classmate and close friend, was walking home from a nighttime school activity. He was between Kozy Korner and the bridge, a section which was icy at the time. A car speeding by him, skidded on the ice and slammed into the bridge. Bruce was able to open the driver's door and discovered that the driver was unconscious and that there was a revolver on the floor. Bruce then got to the passenger's identification and learned that he had the escaped convict. Doctor Confair was contacted and the captive was given an injection to keep him subdued until the authorities arrived."

Thanks to the help of some very nice people, we continue to add to the FEATURE article on the Rohr McHenry Distilling Company. Deb McHenry, wife of Judson McHenry, Jr., has been so very helpful in providing background information and pictures of the McHenry years, and we are especially indebted for the photo of John G. McHenry, Jr. and his bride Naoma Hess. Many local residents fondly remember John and Naoma. Mahlon and Donna Fritz provided a map of Benton that was useful in pinpointing the exact location of the Peoples Department Store. Other photos have been purchased from the Columbia County Historical Society and will be added later.

Frances McDormand, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Vernon McDormand, Benton, is an academy award actress, with the following movie credits to her name:
2003 - LAUREL CANYON ... Jane Bentley
2002 - CITY BY THE SEA ... Michelle
2001 - THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE ... Doris Crane
2000 - ALMOST FAMOUS ... Elaine Miller
2000 - WONDER BOYS ... Sara Gaskell
1998 - TALK OF ANGELS ... Conlon
1998 - MADELINE ... Miss Clavel
1998 - JOHNNY SKIDMARKS ... Alice
1997 - PARADISE ROAD ... Dr. Verstak
1996 - LONE STAR ... Bunny
1996 - PRIMAL FEAR ... Dr. Molly Arrington
1996 - FARGO ... Marge Gunderson*
1995 - PALOOKAVILLE ... June
1995 - BEYOND RANGOON ... Andy Bowman
1993 - SHORT CUTS ... Betty Wheaters
1992 - PASSED AWAY ... Nora Scanlan
1991 - THE BUTCHER'S WIFE ... Grace
1990 - DARKMAN ... Julie Hastings
1990 - MILLER'S CROSSING ... Secretary
1990 - HIDDEN AGENDA ... Ingrid Jessner
1989 - CHATTAHOOCHEE ... Mae Foley
1988 - MISSISSIPPI BURNING ... Mrs. Pell*
1987 - RAISING ARIZONA ... Dot
1985 - CRIMEWAVE ... Nun
1982 - BLOOD SIMPLE ... Abby
* Academy Award performances

We take some things for granted today. In a 1926 column from the Benton Argus, entitled, "The dream of years is to come true," readers were told that "there seems now to be no obstacle in the way of building of Route No. 237, from Benton to the Luzerne County line." The article says that bids will be advertised for the building of the road and are to be opened on February 6. "If the low bidder's figures are within the estimate of the engineers, and the contractors responsible, there should be work started on the road by March 1st, as much of the grading can be done in the winter as well as the summer." The promised route would go up the "dug road" using "the present road at the summit of the hill at the first field of Jacob Minnier, and from there on goes in a straight line, touching the old road in but one part and that for a very short distance." The article states that four miles of road will be completed in 1926 and will leave only about four miles of dirt road between here and Shickshinny, "which will no doubt be contracted for before the close of 1926."

Photo courtesy of Columbia County Historical Society. The picture was taken near Benton.

January 18, 2003

If you want something done, ask a busy person.
--Benjamin Franklin

January 18, 2003. Today is Billy Boston's birthday, by golly! Tonight's full moon should be beautiful with all of the snow. We will not publish a Benton News Sunday, January 19.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has introduced new vehicle inspection stickers with built-in security features aimed at reducing counterfeits. They include a new anti-fraud component called an Optically Variable Device. The gizmo is a visual component incorporated into the logo of the state's vehicle safety and emissions stickers that causes "color-changing images and kinetic movement when viewed at various angles." The 2003-2004 stickers are now in the mail to official inspection stations statewide.

We have added a section to the Benton Area School section where instructions for over 500 simple experiments can easily be printed out. . Log on the school section to look at pictures of school construction in 1927 and today. We have started a new section dealing with the history of the Benton schools.

Upcoming at the Guv's Inauguration:
• Tuesday, 1/20 Guv-elect Ed Rendell and about 5,000 political friends will be entertained at the inaugural concert by rock 'n' roll throwbacks Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker and Sister Sledge.

We'll decode some language for you. The term...
• "20th inst," means the "20th instant," as in the 20th of the current month.
• "30th ult," means the "30th ultimo," as in the 30th of the preceding month.
• "10th prox," means the "10th proximo," as in the 10th of the following month.

Teresa Heinz, the multimillionaire philanthropist and wife of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, has changed her political party registration to become a Democrat. Former husband Senator John Heinz (R-PA) can be heard muttering from the grave.

Usually when we say something controversial, political or racy, we are inundated with email. When we say "glad," someone thinks the word should have been "happy." Little do most know that we throw in a couple of misspellings each day just to keep the ones happy who are more concerned with form than substance! We've hit the 100,000 mark in total numbers of readers who have logged on in the short time that www.bentonnews.net has been publishing, so our errors will be detected. But yesterday's statement that "PA leads the nation, unfortunately, with about one in ten doctors having lost or settled malpractice lawsuits" didn't stir the waters at all. We'll be very brief on this subject, but we will say that for some injuries where lives have been changed by the negligence or incompetence of others, there is no amount of money that will set things right. Our legal system tries to do right in the areas of pain, suffering and mental anguish, but the huge settlements ripple the waves across the pond and inflict problems to scores of others in the form of a medical malpractice insurance crisis. A constitutional amendment to cap jury awards for "noneconomic damages," as 14 other states have done, will take forever and will be fought every inch of the way by well-heeled lawyers who want to stay well-heeled. Countless people yesterday from behind their tilted coffee cups were all in favor of the message President Bush delivered in Scranton. Yet we hear nothing about oversight of medical practices and practitioners. We repeat yesterday's message that the state leads the nation (well, actually, we are number 2, but that is still heading up the pack!) in that about one in ten doctors have either lost or settled malpractice lawsuits. We have seen statistics that claim up to 1 million Americans are injured by preventable medical errors each year. The threat of loss of license or high jury awards don't seem to be deterring these guys but somehow someone has to ride herd on the bad apples of the medical profession...

-=-

January 17, 2003. There are 63 days before the official start of Spring.

A number of readers are complaining about their computers sending out spam and receiving bounce-back messages which bears their addresses but they themselves did not send the messages. Chances are that a spammer has been using your email address as a "Reply-to" or "From" address. Most ISPs are taking steps to investigate these infesting problem. As an interim solution, we suggest that you send your ISP the headers to support their investigation of the problem. The offending email should be addressed to "abuse@, followed by your ISP;" i.e., abuse@internet.net. And be aware that you may eventually have to change your email address to clear up the problem.

If you are having trouble reading something on the screen and have a scroll wheel on your mouse, you can increase print size by holding down the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard while you scroll forward with your mouse.

Flanked by a row of champion lambs, goats and pigs at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, Guv-elect Ed Rendell yesterday nominated Columbia County dairy farmer and Penn State University trustee Dennis C. Wolff to be the secretary of agriculture. Wolff, 51, was born and raised on the 700-acre Pen-Col Farms dairy farm in Millville which he still runs. He is on the board of directors of Agway Inc. and Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders and is a member of the World Trade Organization's agricultural technical committee. Wolff founded Camp Victory near Millville. If confirmed by the Senate, Wolff will make $103,980.

Quote of the Day:
"The U.S. loudmouthed supply of energy and food aid are like a painted cake pie in the sky."
--North Korea's spirited response to America's latest diplomatic overture of food and fuel should Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear arsenal.

Term of the Day: "Pie in the Sky."
The term "Pie in the sky" comes from the early 20th-century folk song "The Preacher and the Slave" written by labor activist Joe Hill, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World. (If you look up Joe Hill, you'll find he is best known, however, for the way he died. Found guilty of murdering a Salt Lake City shopkeeper in 1914, he was executed by firing squad.) The song is an attack on the Salvation Army. The first verse goes:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.

Donald Martini writes, "I had a 'drug' problem when I was a young person and teenager. I was 'drug' to church on Sunday morning. I was 'drug' to church for weddings and funerals. I was 'drug' to family reunions no matter the weather. I was 'drug' to the bus stop to go to School every weekday. I was 'drug' by my ears when disrespectful to adults and teachers. I was also 'drug' to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents. Those 'drugs' are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in every thing I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if our children had this kind of "drug' problem, America would certainly be a better place."

In 1870 a group of sixteen people formally organized the Methodist Episcopal Church, Benton. They met in homes until 1872 when the first church building was erected where the present building now stands. That church was used for thirty-five years. In 1907 the old building was moved back on the lot to make room for the present edifice. The window above the altar was a gift from Dr. Frank C. Laubach who was reared in the church, and his was the first wedding solemnized in the church, and he had a heart full of love for it. This web site now contains the history of the Benton United Methodist Church. Turn to CHURCH on the side panel.

We start the engine on the motor home next Friday and will chart a westerly and leisurely course with the beautiful Santa Ynez valley of California our destination. If you have information that needs updating on the web page, please send typed text to us ASAP. We'll mostly be watching the unfolding road, although we will check in from time to time.

Quickies...
• Gail McHenry's granddaughter, Nicole Smith, leaves for Afghanistan Sunday. Please pray for her safety.
• We wrote yesterday that Howard Brewington purchased the old Long Wagon Works building, when we knew and meant to say Howard Dildine. We apologize for the mistake.
• A reader from Birmingham, AL, wrote saying according to http://www.topozone.com/ , the elevation of Benton is 800 feet. The web site shows Central at 1020 and Jamison City as 1080 feet. Another reader wrote, "the U.S. Geological Survey map covers the Benton area. On the map a bench marker is located south of town. On the map that bench mark is listed as 753 feet above sea level." Unless you plan to fly into the Benton International Airport, it probably doesn't make a lot of difference.
• We haven't a clue who "Yaple's Buss (sic) Line" was, but a picture of one of the wooden Long Wagon Works buses showed up and we have added it to the article on the Long Wagon Works. Anyone know anything about the Yaple Buss (sic) Line?
• And finally, we made certain mistakes that we feel we have now corrected in the history of the Rohr McHenry Distilling Company. We never were good with birthdays...

-=-

January 16, 2003. On this date in 1920, Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect. On this date in 1991, the White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. The United States and its allies began bombing Iraq in the Persian Gulf War on this date in 1991. And it has been a whole year since Richard Reid was indicted on charges alleging he he'd tried to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.

We've added the comics. On the left side, click COMICS. Here is a partial list of the ones available: Andy Capp, B.C., Baldo, Ballard Street, Boondocks, Captain RibMan, Cathy, Cleats, Close to Home, Doonesbury, For Better or For Worse, Garfield, Heathcliff--oh, heck, just check for yourself... Thanks to readers who read and commented on the new section by Tonya Boston Sagar about Indians under FEATURES. If you have not yet turned to it, please do. And while you are in the FEATURES area, take the time to read the article about the Long Wagon Works and take a look at one of the four wooden school buses used in the Benton school system back in 1929.

Poem of the Day:
Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping,
rapping at my chamber door
"Tis some visitor," I muttered,
"tapping at my chamber door
Only this and nothing more."
--from The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe.

Most folks know that pressing the CTRL key plus x cuts an item, CTRL+ c copies and CTRL+ v pastes, but remember to "unload" the clipboard after copying a large graphic or hitting "Print Screen." Just copy something small, like a word of text, to replace that large load or it will tie up valuable memory. Here are some other shortcuts:
CTRL+ A: Highlights all text in document
CTRL+ close window closes all windows
CTRL+ Z is an unlimited UNDO
Windows: Display the Start menu
Windows + D: Minimize or restore all windows
Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer
Windows + F: Display Search for files
Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for computer
Windows + F1: Display Help and Support Center
Windows + R: Display Run dialog box
Windows + break: Display System Properties dialog box
Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all windows
Windows + tab: move through taskbar buttons
Windows + U: Open Utility Manager

Jim Edson was operated on Tuesday, January 14, for a triple bypass and did very well. Yesterday, the 15th, he was sitting up eating breakfast and by noon was in a private room. All his tubes have been removed and he is "directing his rehabilitation." He has walked with nurses and will probably be home Friday. His response has been phenomenal. "He is an ideal patient and is recovering beyond expectations. Thanks for all your prayers."

Andy Borowitz writes that President Saddam Hussein of Iraq resigned today, citing his desire to spend more time with his family. Those close to Saddam said that they had seen the move coming for months. In addition to spending more time with his family, Saddam is expected to accept a new post as Senior Fellow at the Baghdad Institute, an Iraqi think-tank devoted to devising new means of hiding outlawed weapons. In Washington, President Bush expressed "no hard feelings" towards Saddam and wished the Iraqi strongman the best of luck in his new endeavor.

Term of the Day: Uncle Sam.
The original "Uncle Sam" was Samuel Wilson, from West Cambridge, MA, who, with his brother, Ebenezer, moved to Troy, NY, where they formed a partnership in the meat-packing business. The brothers contracted to supply the Army with beef and pork during the War of 1812, and marked their shipping barrels "US." The soldiers jokingly called the meat "Uncle Sam's beef." A soldier drew a caricature of Sam Wilson with his goatee and flowing hair and labeled the picture, "Uncle Sam of the U.S.A." This picture is the exact one you see today.

In response to a reader's question, the Mill Hall K-Mart is the closest store to Benton to be closed and will put 81 workers out of a job. The K-Mart stores in Shamokin Dam, Berwick, Towanda and Sayre K-Marts will remain open. And a reader asked for the elevation of Benton and for the life of me I can't find it. Can someone please provide it? Thank'Ye!

-=-

January 15, 2003, a Red Hat Day! On this date...
• In 1780, New York harbor froze over completely and was sealed for five weeks.
• in 1929, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta.
• In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon, now the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Alexandria Curtin is one-day old. She is the daughter of Joe and Lisa Curtin, Kingston, and the granddaughter of Bob and Nina Baker, Benton. She weighed in at 6 pounds, five ounces. Alexandria, her parents and her grandparents are doing well.
• David Letterman celebrates the third anniversary of his by-pass surgery. And speaking of the operation, Jim Edson had the same operation yesterday and reportedly is doing well in the Geisinger Hospital.
• In 1945, Dr. William F. Confair, 36, Benton physician and veteran of World War II, died in the George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital from complications which followed an injury sustained in 1943 while serving as a major in the Army Medical Corps and based in the Aleutian Islands. Following Dr. Confair's injuries in the service he was taken to the Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DC. Dr. Confair was Benton's only attending physician since Dr. C. R. Albertson died in May, 1944. A native of Berwick, he was the quarterback on the varsity football team. He was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, class of 1932. Dr. Confair entered the active service in the Army in 1940 with the rank of captain and retired with the rank of Major. Dr. Confair resumed his duties in Benton upon discharge despite the fact that at Walter Reed Hospital he had been advised to take a year's rest. He was a member of Painter Den Club. He was survived by his wife and four children: Joselle, 12; Billy, 10; Joel, 7; and George, six months.

The name Haudenosaunee is not well known as part of the history and heritage of this area. Haudenosaunee is the name given to the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy, which includes the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora Nations. This confederation has existed for centuries by authority of an orally transmitted constitution called Kaianerekowa, or "The Great Law of Peace." It is the oldest constituted participatory democracy in the world. This confederation of nations protected the English colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries, and was influential in the development of methods of governance for the fledging United States. If you go to FEATURES at the top, then to the section on Indians, you'll find part I of an interesting series on the Haudenosaunee written by guest writer Tonya Boston Sagar.

Quote of the Day:
"Patience is the companion of wisdom."
--St. Augustine

From the "Where's This Going" Department comes...
The parallel with the current president and his father is interesting. After the Persian Gulf War victory, the first President Bush had very high overall approval ratings driven by incredibly high marks on foreign policy. His marks on handling economic and domestic issues, however, foreshadowed real problems. President George H. W. Bush had Gallup approval ratings ranging from 58% to 63% in December, 1990, and later soared to 89% after his Persian Gulf War victory. He went on to lose re-election with the lowest percentage of any incumbent in 80 years.

Kmart Corporation plans to close 326 more stores in 44 states, cutting between 30,000 and 35,000 jobs. The company closed 283 stores last March The Mill Hall Kmart is one of six in the state. Others include Flourtown, Phoenixville, Delran and Pennsauken.

Arcadia Word of the Day: fard.
FARD (verb). Terminated.
Usage: "Emerson don't work at Kmart no more--we fard him."

We know something about female accounting majors from Wilkes University, and when we see an outstanding one we mention it. Wilkes University basketball star Whitney Bull most probably will graduate this spring with a 4.00 grade-point average. She plans to attend law school after graduating from Wilkes, and become a third-generation lawyer. She attends Wesley United Methodist Church in Nescopeck. She is the No. 1 singles player on the Wilkes tennis team, and runs two miles every day. The Berwick native averages 17.4 points and 13.1 rebounds, the best in school history. Monday night, she scored her 1,000th career point. We'll hear Whitney's name in the Berwick area for many years, we suspect.
--from an article in the Times Leader

-=-

Tuesday, January 14, 2003. There are 66 days until Spring. On this date in 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary War. Happy birthday today to NBC's "Today" show which premiered on this date in 1952 with Dave Garroway talking and J. Fred Muggs swinging. Ten years ago today, talk show host David Letterman announced his move from NBC to CBS. CBS commentator Andy Rooney is 84 today. Get those red hats shined up, ladies, tomorrow is the big day!

Benton coach Mike Klem feels that the boy's basketball team can make it big in the Mid-Penn Conference, according to this morning's Press Enterprise. Austin Kelsey with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter and with Benton trailing by three took the ball at half court and "buried a trey with a hand in his face" to tie the game last night.
Kelsey fouled out in overtime, but Allen Turner converted a free throw to put Benton up, 56-53. The final score put Benton on top 59-57. Benton (10-5, 4-2 Mid-Penn) travels to Sullivan County on Friday in a Mid-Penn match-up.

Just in case you have forgotten how to run your Windows Character Map applet, here is a refresher. Choose Start|Run, type in charmap, and press Enter. For fun, when the character map opens, click the font list box and select Wingdings. Now, you can view the pictures or use Select to copy your selection for pasting.

Top winners at the Farm Show competition for wine includes Shade Mountain Vineyards & Winery, Middleburg. It took home one gold, one silver and two bronze awards, including Best Vinifera with its Lemberger Wine; and Penn Shore Winery, which received Best American with its semi-sweet Diamond table wine. And speaking of the Farm Show, Carol Vance wowed them in person and via state-wide television yesterday with her presentation of venison cooking. The Farm Show this year includes equipment demonstrations, hourly cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs and cookbook authors. If you plan to attend the Farm Show, wear walking shoes. The Farm Show is the largest indoor Agriculture event in America with over 25 acres under roof. Parking is provided approximately ½ mile from the Farm Show Complex, with access via Elmerton Avenue just off interstate 81. The parking fee is $5 per vehicle and free shuttle bus service is provided. You can get more information, by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's homepage through the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us , keyword "farmshow," or directly at www.pda.state.pa.us. One of the more popular displays Sunday was a 4,000-pound carbide steel drill bit used to bore down 240 feet below the surface at the Quecreek Mine in Somerset, where nine miners were trapped July 24 after a flood. The cylindrical cage used to rescue the miners was there, too.

Hunters took 2,512 bears during the statewide three-day season, plus 174 more during the extended season in Carbon, Monroe and Pike counties. Bears were harvested in 49 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. In 2000, hunters took 3,075 and in 2001 hunters took 3,063 bear in the Commonwealth.

Quote of the Day:
"Dignity is like a perfume; those who use it are scarcely conscious of it."
--Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689).

January 12, 2003

Because of snow that has fallen so far, Benton Area School students can kiss goodbye the holidays they planned for February 17, and April 17 and 22. They can, at this point, count on April 18 and 21 off for Easter vacation. Graduation (and last day of classes) is June 6.

Benton made the news again this morning with a Jimmy May picture showing a snowmobile scene near Benton. It is on Page M2 of the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer. Jimmy May is a Press Enterprise photographer.

Localism of the Day: darsn't [aux. v. DAIRS-unt].
Darsn't is a first cousin of shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't and the ever popular daren't. If you darsn't do something, then you dare not do it, or there will be unfortunate consequences. For those of you who never got your feet wet in Fishing Creek, here is an example. "I told that boy, he darsn't swim below the dam, but did he listen?" This curious slang is perhaps now almost unique to the Benton area, but in the nineteenth century it could be heard throughout much of the entire United States, especially in the deep south. The word was often used in writings we see from the local area. Today, the word is occasionally uttered by older people in the southern and Appalachian states. It is obsolete slang, but is quite expressive and it does give us a clue where the person who said it has been dangling his toes...

An always alert reader from Arizona pointed out that we missed the point that everyone had to be a FARMER first if he wanted to eat in the 1800s. She was commenting on the occupations of early settlers in the area and of course she is exactly right. The writer also pointed out that in many of the early wills the man was kind enough when writing his will to give his wife a cow and a place for it to graze for one year. "What was she supposed to do after that to feed his kids," she asked. And if "she married again she only got one-third of what he left."

We added the New York Times to our side panel and while we were at it we also added Info321 on the side panel. If you want to go somewhere worthwhile on the Internet, here is a great place to start. And if you want a site that uses good English, you'll have to go elsewhere. In an effort to get us to clean up our word usage, a reader sent along a snippet from a newspaper which read, "Three Colorado Springs police officers shot and killed a man with two knives last night."

The Snowbirds are packed. Monday, Hobe and Jesse Whitenight depart for Florida, and Ken and Ethel Kelsey fire up the engine to go South, then West. Donald and Dottie Rabb plan to leave Wednesday. Jim Edson and Patti Boyle's plans got sidelined when Jim got the news that heart surgery is needed next week for him. Please keep Jim in your prayers.

Didja hear about Sarah, a self-appointed church gossip and morals coordinator, who publicly accused George of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town bar one afternoon? When George heard what she said, he simply walked away without saying anything. George got even when he parked his pickup in front of Sarah's house and left it there all night.

Most Misunderstood Song Title We've Heard Anyone Sing:
"Killed in a bar when he was only three," sung by a young boy happily swinging his arms and walking with his Daddy on Third Street. This version of "killed him a bear when he was only three," from a song about Davy Crockett, was quite unusual. (And didja know that Davy Crockett had three ears? Yep, he had a right ear, a left ear and a wild frontier.)

Up in Cherry Township in Sullivan County, a wine-making operation is in the construction phase on the bottom floor of a 166-year-old barn. The barn once housed up to 80 head of cattle. Six hundred grapevines have been planted so far. We suspect that the wine will have a rather unique taste!

January 5, 2003. Athens, Georgia, hit 110° F on this date in 1981. A British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Virginia, on this date in 1781. Today is the anniversary of Sam and Peggy Follmer and the birthday of George Remphrey, John Kogut, State Representative John Gordner and Guv-elect Ed Rendell. The Farm Show opened today. In 1957, Guy Mitchell's hit song "Singing the Blues" was the number one song in the country and the United Kingdom.

We neglected to mention the anniversary as WBRE-TV, the region's first television station, hit the airwaves 50 years ago, January 1, 1953. Prior to WBRE-TV, it was not possible to get a TV signal from anywhere and it was some time later before Benton could receive a signal from Wilkes-Barre. Many remember the late Franklin D. Coslett, channel 28's first anchorman. Jim McCarthy was the first sportscaster and Joe Scott was the first weatherman. Within a year after WBRE-TV went on the air, the area had several TV stations. The early days of television in Benton came from WNBF, channel 12, Binghamton, NY.

Quote of the Day:
"It was exciting. We got a rating even on the test patterns because people were so excited about getting television locally."
--WBRE

The editors of The American Heritage® College Dictionary have compiled a list of 100 words they recommend each high school graduate should know. Adults will learn a few things from this list, too.

Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech and Benton had to forfeit seven of the 14 weight classes yesterday in high school wrestling. Seven matches were decided by pins. Coming out on top for Benton were Robert Verosky, by forfeit, 119; Rich Clocker, by forfeit, 125; Reese Smith, pinned Jake Shuman, 4:39; Carl Chapin, won by forfeit. 152; Tim Newhart, pinned Travis Manning in only 22 seconds, 171; Eric Yonkers, pinned Tim Artman, 4:41. 189. The Press Enterprise article from which this came does not give the final score, and we don't feel like figuring it out. Benton (0-6) hosts Central Columbia on Tuesday. You can get all the day's sports under BENTON AREA SCHOOLS on the side panel. You might want to visit that portion of the web site from time to time to get the latest school closings, the happenings on the school construction which begins Monday and to keep posted on the outstanding graduates of the area schools.

The Old Meaningless Saying of the Day:
"Holly berries shining red, Mean a long winter, 'tis said."

D. G. Yuengling & Son Inc., the brewer of Yuengling beer, has been fined for violating the Clean Water Act, cited for too much metal and acid in water discharged from its Pottsville brewery. The nation's oldest brewery was fined $137,500. Yuengling discharges more than 290,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

Up in Dushore, a man was seriously injured in a snowmobiling accident yesterday. The victim was lifting up a snowmobile to remove snow from the snowmobile's belt when someone else sitting on the snowmobile revved it up to clean off the snow from the belt. The belt apparently flew apart and struck the man in the foot.

Musculoskeletal strains, such as back injuries, are common results of snow shoveling. We hope your sidewalks are shoveled by now, but remember to push the snow rather than lifting it onto a shovel. The elderly, asthmatics and people with heart and lung disease should not shovel because of the added strain of the cold on their health. The writer has a badly twisted knee this morning, a result of falling in the snow yesterday. Come on, Spring!

Commissioner Bud Selig has asked living members of the Hall of Fame to meet, probably in February, to discuss ending baseball's banishment of its all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.

The administration's policy toward North Korea seems to be tailored containment, with diplomatic and economic pressure on the evil doers in Pyongyang. North Korea may already have a couple of nuclear weapons and certainly appears to be planning more. We look forward to the administration coming up with a clear policy to replace he current policy of mild treatment of a rogue state that expels nuclear inspectors and tough treatment of a country that seems to welcome them.

The new Guv takes office later this month, and you can be sure that gambling in Pennsylvania will be up for grabs. Rendell campaigned on introducing slot machines at racetracks (racinos) as a way to raise more revenue for the state. With the budget problems in Harrisburg, lawmakers are likely to rubber stamp the idea. And while additional revenue would be welcome in the state treasury, gambling really should not be thought of as the panacea for all that ails government when it comes to raising revenue or controlling spending.

Our Favorite New Word: "Dialarhoea."
The inadvertent dialing of a cell phone in a pocket or handbag.

And speaking of words, the Lake Superior State University at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, has published their yearly banned words list, including:
• "Untimely death." Few deaths are actually timely.
• "On the ground." It is where we spend most of our time anyway.
• "Must-see TV." We find it really means the opposite.
• "Weapons of mass destruction," "homeland security" and "now, more than ever" because they are becoming clichés through overuse.
• "Extreme." As used in sports where perspiration breaks out on our palms when we watch.
• "There is no score." Often said when the score actually is 0-0.
• "Having said that" and "that said." We wish they would not repeat themselves.

We frequently mention the writings of Helen Smith Gammon, Chandler, AZ, and often quote from the work she has accomplished in transcribing the twenty-one diaries of Alexander Colley (1786-1881). The Columbia Country Historical Society and the Society's manuscript collection have now been honored by the contribution of the transcribed works. The 161-page book is entitled, "The Diaries of Alexander Colley of Sugarloaf Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 1856-1878." Helen traveled the 2,370 miles alone in her camper from just southeast of Phoenix to Columbia County for four summers in order to read faded manuscripts and almost indecipherable passages to create this book. Alexander Colley, lived in Sugarloaf Township, died when he was 94, and is buried in St. Gabriel's Cemetery. Colley was a school teacher, surveyor, and served a term in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, 1821-22, representing Columbia County.

The American Professional Rodeo Association, the largest rodeo association in the East, has named the Benton Rodeo No. 1 out of 65 rodeos from Maine to the Carolinas. For 2003, "One-Armed Bandit" will appear, along with the always popular fireworks show. For details of the 19th annual frontier days celebration and APRA championship rodeo and bull-a-rama, which we call the Benton Rodeo, go to http://www.bentonrodeo.com .

January 13, 2003

"Being young is a fault which improves daily."
--Swedish proverb.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

You may not be fond of Mondays but they make up a fourth of your life.

The "Where Do These Funny Words Come From" Department's Word of the Day is "Wedlock." If you analyze the word, it looks like it means "locked into marriage," but wedlock is simply the state of being married. A child born to parents who are not married is said to be born out of wedlock. Near synonyms include marriage, matrimony and an obsolete word, confarreation [(Con*far`re*a"tion], which meant a form of marriage among the Romans, in which an offering of bread was made in the presence of the high priest and at least ten witnesses. Actually, the second syllable of the word comes from the Old English suffix "-lac," meaning an action, or "what is carried out." The Old English root "wedlac" was originally from old German "wathjam" (pledge), which led to German "wetten" (to wager) as well as English wed, wedding, engage, wage, and wager, all of which have a lot to do with commitment and fulfillment of promises.

Over the weekend, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld signed three deployment orders moving a total of 62,000 troops to the Persian Gulf. The troops will move to their positions through mid- to late-February. Various papers report that 150,000+ troops will be in the region by February.

Twelve miles of I-80 in central Pennsylvania plus another 39 miles later will be repaired at a cost of millions of dollars. "Open-grade" stone seems to be catching the blame for the problem. Used since the early 1990s, the stone mix has more large rocks and fewer small ones. The open-grade stone used for I-80 contained shale that broke down and settled, causing the road to heave and crack. So far, repairs have cost in excess of a million dollars per mile. In 2002, repairs near Buckhorn cost the state $440,000 for the problem. Four sections of I-80 will be tackled this year. In 2004, the DoT will tie up traffic for a two-mile stretch of the eastbound and westbound lanes from east of the Mifflinville exit to the Luzerne Country line.

A reader asked if we had noticed that the word "local" really means "local" Back Home in Benton, PA. By way of illustration, he was once told by a friend that "I left the area for several years, but then I came back." The reader asked, "Where did you go?" The friend replied, "Shickshinny."

Bloomsburg is going for the dogs, as the town seeks a replacement for their police dog, Arcci, now retired. Police are trying to raise money to replace him and possibly get a bomb-searching dog. They budgeted $3,500, but need $7,000 to replace Arcci with another drug/patrol dog and are asking for donations. And while they're at it, police would also like to raise enough money to get a patrol/bomb dog, another $11,500. We even thought for just a moment--just a moment--of offering Buster and Chloe, even though they are Bichons and not German shepherds.

We'll close with the last verse of a song you know, but may have forgotten...

Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty,
to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might,
great God, our King.

January 4, 2003

"After writing for fifteen years it struck me I had no talent for
writing. But I couldn't give it up: by that time I was already famous." --Mark Twain

January 4, 2003. Happy birthday greetings go out today to Amy Remphrey and Nick Chabra. We have about 7 inches of snow on the ground. At least we are dealing with it better than when eight inches of snow fell in Marin County, California, on this date in 1982! The winter's third major snowstorm shut schools, offices and caused headaches for drivers. The 2002-03 winter season already is running a foot of snow above normal. And all this happened on a "two trip to Bloomsburg" day! Yuck!

Anna M. Ropel, 95, 232 Hartman Hollow Road, Benton, died January 3, 2003, at the Millville Health Care Center. Mrs. Ropel was a member of St. Martha's Catholic Church, Stillwater. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank S. Ropel; by a son, Thomas J. Ropel Sr.; a daughter, Agnes Houseweart; three grandsons and a great-grandson. Surviving are two daughters: Martha Vander-Hyden, Alexandria, Va. and Mrs. Joseph (Eleanor) Derkach, Forrestville, N.Y.; nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 AM Monday in St. Martha's Catholic Church, Stillwater, with interment in St. Martha's Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Kriner Funeral Home, Benton.

Jean Garland Moore, 89, 200 Hollow Road, Stillwater, died January 2, 2003, at Bloomsburg Hospital. Mrs. Moore was a member of the Mifflinville congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. She was preceded in death by her husband, John D., and a sister, Martha A. Batcheler. Surviving are her son, Stephen E. Moore, Stillwater; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The time and place of a memorial service will announced.

Today's Derivation of a Term: From Sea to Shining Sea.
The term means simply from one coast to another. The origin of the word is from a quotation from Sir John A. MacDonald on the occasion of the founding of Canada in 1885.

Gov. Tom Ridge released $72.5 million for capital projects in his final days in office last year, including nearly $31 million for projects around his hometown of Erie. Ridge's predecessor, Gov. Robert P. Casey, doled out $37 million for capital projects just before leaving Harrisburg, including money for a downtown hotel and conference center in his hometown of Scranton. And Guv Mark Schweiker, you ask? The Guv doled out $81 million in capital budget redevelopment assistance funds for projects ranging from new libraries to museums to community recreation centers.
--from a Harrisburg Patriot News article

We recently hiccupped over the use of the term "Port Noble," after we saw the place used in a diary of Alexander Colley which Helen Gammon provided to us. The surveyor's diary of September 6, 1858, included this notation, "laid out a road from Port Nobe to near Benton & Co. mill at aquaduct (sic) $2.00." Kirk Hess pointed out that in Walter Brasch's book, "Columbia County Place Names," Port Noble is named as an entry port landing to Bloomsburg on the North Branch Canal. The port was built about 1831. Could this have been the forerunner to route 487?

The body of Yolanda Schlessinger, 77, sat in the Los Angeles morgue for ten days before her daughter "Go Do the Right Thing" Laura claimed the 78-year-old woman's remains on December 28. The recent death of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's mother was a homicide, according to Beverly Hills cops. The body of Yolanda Schlessinger was discovered December 16 by officers responding to the elderly woman's condo after a neighbor called to say she was worried "after not seeing the resident for several weeks." Radio star Laura Schlessinger said of her estranged mother, "I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death, and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live--alone and isolated. May God rest her soul." When you think of turning on talk radio, we suggest that you, too, "do the right thing."

AgChoice Farm Credit reported the results of its 2002 Board of Directors election which closed December 4, 2002. Six board seats were open for reelection. The newly reelected directors include Richard Kriebel, Benton. The farm credit organization reports that Dick "grows forage and grain for his son's dairy operation and additional crops for the open market. In addition to serving on the board of AgChoice, he is board chairman of AgFirst Farm Credit Bank in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a member of Benton Christian Church, where he serves as an elder." Our congratulations are extended to Dick.

Quickies....
• Benton is excited to have Rick Henderson Back Home in Benton, PA. He opens his car repair business in Bob Sands' old GLF building January 10.

January 3, 2003

"'I can forgive, but I cannot forget,' is only another way of saying, 'I will not forgive.' Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note--torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one."
--Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887)

January 3, 2003. On this date in 1777, Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, NJ. In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. The United States broke diplomatic relations with Cuba on this date in 1961. Alaska became the 49th State on this date in 1959 and today it is getting even!

Get ready, kids, for a week with only one day of classes! School is closed today. The National Weather Service predicted more than 6 inches of snow through today, saying that the farther north, the less snow. Sullivan and Tioga counties are expecting only 3 to 5 inches, while Columbia is bracing for 6 to 8 inches. But we would prefer that to Idaho, where in 1961 they had the greatest accumulation of ice in U.S. history, with eight inches. Route 15 in the Williamsport area was shut down for a time yesterday as black ice hit that area. Up in Bradford and Sullivan counties, many residents are still without power from the ice storm on New Year's Day through Thursday morning. Heavy ice snapped off trees, downed power lines and caused hazardous road conditions.

The panel of speakers at the North Mountain Historical Society January 20 meeting will be Paul Strausser, Bloomsburg; Monte Kisbach, Berwick; Huber Kline, Benton; and Bob Casey, Lightstreet. The topic will be Tri-County baseball. To get you in the mood, we have added a section on Tri-County baseball under FEATURES. Although it is under construction, please take a look.

And on the subject of baseball, Winton Laubach, Golden, CO, emailed about his father and former math teacher in the Sugarloaf and Benton Area School System, Earl "Pop" Laubach. Earl's baseball playing predated the Tri-County League by a lot. He played ball with the likes of Frank Edson, Frank Brink, Karl Hess, George Ash and "Cooney" Harvey. Now to the tale. "It was about 1975 and a man came to the door. It was a BSTC teammate whom dad had not seen since 1910. During the visit the man, whose name I don't remember, said to Dad, 'I want to tell you a story, something you knew nothing about.' I will paraphrase what the visitor said and put it in his words: 'This happened during the last game of the season. You and I were in contention for the league batting title. It was the top of the ninth and we were way ahead. There were two outs and I was up to bat. I had calculated that I was a couple of thousandths ahead of you, but I knew that if I failed to hit, you would come out on top. There was a slow base runner on first base, and this gave me a bright idea. Since we were way ahead, I decided to give the base runner the steal sign, knowing that he would make the out that ended the game and I would come out ahead. But it backfired. Their catcher threw the ball into center and the runner was safe. I flied out and you came out on top."

The guestbook is popular reading, but not popular writing. Since the guest book was created November 19, 1,140 visitors have looked at it but only 35 have signed it. Please sign the guest book on the left side and let us know who is reading the Benton News, let us know what your interests are. We would appreciate it. And while you are here, also look under FEATURES for the Benton Fire of 1910. We have added a lot of pictures, although it, too, remains under construction. And speaking of pictures, we need a picture of the Benton Bakery as it was when operated by Elery Hess.

The main sawmill of the L&H Lumber Company on state route 154, 2 miles northwest of Forksville, burned to the ground yesterday in a blaze estimated at $1 million in equipment alone. Other buildings were saved, including the office and a lumber storage facility, as 50 to 75 firefighters from seven fire companies worked on the 7 AM blaze. The sawmill employed 29 workers.

If you are interested in doing research on genealogy relating to the Benton area, a loosely knit group would like to get together to learn more about the subject and to trade thoughts and ideas. If you don't know anything about doing basic research, don't worry about it. Jump in with both feet! The Columbia County Historical Society, Bloomsburg, and the Berwick Historical Society, 102 E. Second Street, Berwick are excellent local resource and memberships are available at a moderate cost. An upcoming North Mountain Historical Society meeting will feature basic genealogical research for the beginner. There is no cost or obligation.

In 1851 a gift of land was given for the present site of the St. James Church and the cornerstone for the Church was laid. The first church building was completed sometime in 1852. When the congregation was incorporated, it was a member of the Bloomsburg Charge, which included Bloomsburg, Heller's, Catawissa, Orangeville, Zion, and St. James congregations. In 1865, the latter three congregations became a separate charge. A Constitution and the Articles of Incorporation were granted on December 28, 1878, in the name of the St. James Reformed Church.

In 1895, a resolution was adopted that the St. James congregation build a new church on or before the year 1900. On December 30, 1899, it was moved that the new building be erected during the coming year. The architect was T. I. Price and the timber was purchased from I. T. Austin of Jonestown for $65. C. W. Hess of Jonestown became the building foreman. The old church was moved to the rear of the present site and was used until the new building was completed. The old church sold for $25. Parts of it were used in some of the homes around the Bendertown area. Daniel Wenner, Eugene Doty and Alfred Henry laid the foundation. M. L. Kurtz of Berwick donated the cornerstone. The total cost of the erection of the building, including the material, the work, the matting, the bell, the furnace, and the furniture was about $4,000. This present church building was dedicated on Sunday, December 30, 1900.

For further information about the St. James Church, turn to the CHURCH section of www.bentonnews.net.

There is finally a place on the web for Pennsylvania horse lovers to utilize for buying and selling horses, posting local events, information, communication and equine web design services. It is http://www.pennsylvaniahorse.com/ .

From the "Most Useless Old Saying" Department comes...
"You should know a man seven years before you stir his fire."

Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE) will perform "Patch Works: Life & Legends of the Coal Towns," January 29-March 21. Children will put down their pencils and books and spend an hour mining the history of King Coal as BTE performs in a story-telling style, using imaginative props and audience involvement. BTE will transform elementary and middle school cafeterias and gymnasiums into the landscape of the coal town. Take time with your children and grandchildren to discuss it after they see it.

As we rattle our sabers over Iraq and North Korea, remember please that the "evil doers" in North Korea have an army of 1.2 million while the U.S. Army numbers 484,551, down from 710,821 in 1991.

Thursday's Journal of Clinical Investigation discusses the long-term safety of nicotine patches, nasal sprays and gum that smokers rely upon to quit. Nicotine, the well-known addictive component of tobacco, is thought to be a powerful promoter of lung cancer.

New Year's Bowl Roundup
• The Nittany Lions fell to Auburn, 13-9, in the Capital One Bowl.
• Sugar: Ga. Beats Fla. St. 26-13.
• Rose: Okla. Rocks Wash. St., 34-14.
• Cotton: Texas Rallies Past LSU, 35-20.
• Gator: N.C. St. Rolls Past Irish, 28-6.
• Outback: Mich. Ousts Fla., 38-30.
• Peach: Terps Dominate Tenn., 33-3.
• Cereal: Milk covers Cheerios.

And so you can practice in the privacy of your shower, here are the words to "The Philadelphia Eagles Victory Song," which you should punctuate by screaming "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!"
"Fly Eagles fly, on the road to victory.
"Fight Eagles fight, score a touchdown 1,2,3.
"Hit 'em low, hit 'em high, and watch our Eagles fly.
"Fly Eagles fly, on the road to victory.
"E-A-G-L-E-S - Eagles!"

A 5-pound 2-ounce girl emerged into the world at Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax Country, VA, one minute after midnight January 1, causing the usual "First Baby of the Year" promotion to lapse into an unusual celebration. The infant girl, conceived through artificial insemination, has two mommies: the woman, 33, who gave birth, and her partner, 35. The biological father is an unidentified family friend. Neither the media crowd nor the legal system in Virginia was fully ready, since Virginia does not permit second-parent adoption--unlike Maryland, the District of Columbia or Pennsylvania.

OK. The holidays are over, the war is on! Gone from our year 2003 thinking is the "clean your plate," "wasting food is the American way," "there's more where that came from," mentality. The word "Small" is on the culinary endangered-species list. McDonald's has their "supersize," Starbucks' extra-large venti cups, restaurants have their ice cream cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Enough! Heaping the plate may have worked last year, but it won't this year. Obesity starts with large portions. There will be no refills on my buckwheat cakes and sausage this morning!

January 1s, 2003

"It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly."

--Anatole France

January 1, 2003. Happy New Year! Ronnie Sutliff, a member of the Class of '57, passed away on this date in 1993. Three American heroes were New Year babies: silversmith and "famous alerter" Paul Revere, flag-maker extraordinaire Betsy Ross, and Revolutionary War General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. US Senator Barry Goldwater was born New Year's Day in 1909 and President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on New Year's Day, 1863. The union of Great Britain and Ireland under the name United Kingdom became effective on this date in 1801.

Vivian Brown Hill, Altamonte Springs, FL, died June 8, 2002, in Florida. She was a daughter of the late Harry and Ida Pearl Brown, and a 1938 graduate of Benton High School, Mrs. Hill was once employed at the former U.S. Radium plant, Almedia. Her husband, Anthony Hill, died previously. She is survived by a son, Robert Hill, Ventura, CA; a daughter, Beverly Rivers, Plymouth, FL; a sister, Marie Gould, and a brother, Robert Brown, both of Orlando, FL. Services were held in Apopka, Florida.

Dayne Hartman wrote from Florida that he scraped ice off the windshield last Sunday in Benton. Yesterday's temperature near Tampa was 79.

Costumed interpreters and demonstrators will help celebrate the New Year Sunday, January 5, between 1 and 4 PM just as English dissenters did at the close of the 18th century at Joseph Priestley House, Northumberland. Admission is charged. The handsome Georgian-style Joseph Priestley House is the American home and laboratory of the English scientist, theologian, and educator, and the discoverer of oxygen. Scientific equipment, books, and furniture are displayed. For more information and a map to Joseph Priestley House, visit www.phmc.state.pa.us .

Didja know that the northernmost point of the United States is Point Barrow, Alaska, and the southernmost is Ka Lae (South Cape) on the island of Hawaii. Within the 48 contiguous states, the northernmost point is Northwest Angle, Minnesota, and the southernmost is Key West, Florida.

An unidentified, distraught man "about 29," attempted to shoot himself yesterday while walking on the driveway at Bonham Nursing Home, Register. The bullet entered his shoulder in a non-vital area, nurses from the Center assisted until help arrived, and the man is now in the Geisinger Medical Center.

With paid admissions at the 2002 Bloomsburg Fair dropping to $817,016, mostly because of heavy rains, total revenues dropped to $3,043,025. After expenses of $2,877,914, the fair had profits of $165,100.

We hope that Wilkes-Barre taxpayers have a better 2003 than they had in 2002.

Construction of the 26,000 square foot addition to the Benton Area High School begins Monday morning.

Hazleton native Ron Lyon and his wife Jenny Paschall produce the television show "Would You Believe It?" airing on the Discovery Channel. The show airs Thursday at 8 PM and specializes in the weird and unusual and spooky. Lyon graduated in 1959 from Hazleton High School. Thursday's show is entitled "Beastly Tales," and will be aired again Saturday at 2 PM.

Four relatives of NASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer, were sentenced to a year of probation for selling hundreds of stolen truck tires at a family-owned junkyard. The racer's father, brother, uncle and cousin pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen property. The Spencers were charged with selling new and recapped tires that had been stolen from the warehouse of a Wilkes-Barre tire dealer. An employee at McCarthy Tire pleaded guilty in December to stealing about 980 tires and giving them to the Spencers as payments on four cars he had purchased from the family. As part of the plea bargain, the four have paid $180,000 in restitution to McCarthy Tire.

Penn State offensive lineman Gus Felder is the Press Enterprise Area Sportsperson of the Year. Felder is a Berwick High School graduate. And while we are on football, former Southern Columbia graduate Nate Schiccatano, recovering from emergency surgery following appendicitis, will be at the Gator Bowl today with Notre Dame.

Pennsylvania physicians would receive an estimated $220 million bailout to ease their malpractice costs under legislation proposed by Guv-elect Ed Rendell. We'll wait for the dust to settle on this issue. Meanwhile, area hospitals are bracing today to see what the physicians do next as their BMW fund is placed in jeopardy.

Time Magazines "Best Inventions for 2002" can be found at http://www.time.com/time/2002/inventions/ . Read about the tooth phone or other inventions in the categories of "Transit & Talk, Home & Safety, Clothing, Toys & Sports, Robots & Tech, Medical & More."

January 11, 2003

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." -- P.J. O'Rourke

We explain the term "Dad Gum" for those who don't talk Benton

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-- Mark Twain

Services will be held at 2 PM today at Christ United Methodist Church, Central, for Dorothy Kile Thomas, 78, 240 Leonard St., Bloomsburg, who died January 8, 2003. Born March 12, 1924, in Sugarloaf Township, she was a daughter of the late Walter and Deborah Peterman Kile. She was a 1941 Benton High School graduate, and lived in Central until 1952 when she moved to Bloomsburg. She was employed by the former Magee Carpet Co., Bloomsburg, until retiring in 1989. Mrs. Thomas was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bloomsburg. Brothers Leo and Wayne Kile died previously. She is survived by her husband, Raymond L. Thomas, with whom she celebrated a 50th wedding anniversary on September 20; and a sister, Katherine Kile, Hellertown. Burial will be in St. Gabriel's Cemetery.

In a long-awaited move, DIRECTV will launch broadcast of local channels this year which should encourage the shift of customers to satellite dishes from cable television hookups. DIRECTV will begin offering local channels to viewers in Northeastern Pennsylvania by June. DIRECTV costs $37.99 a month for a base package of 115 channels including the local channels. You can get more information by going to the company's Web site, www.directv.com.

The best of the best sing their hearts out in a public concert at 2 PM today in Haas Auditorium, Bloomsburg University. Over 200 of the very best soprano, alto, tenor and bass high school vocalists will participate in the event.

The U.S. Senate unanimously extended the National Flood Insurance Program's congressional authorization yesterday. Let 'er rain!

The Ben Franklin Store and Pharmacy in Clarkstown was robbed Friday night by a man claiming to have a gun. Shortly before 9 PM, the man entered the store demanding money. He never showed a weapon.

The North Mountain Ambulance Association and the Benton Volunteer Fire Company are both asking for volunteers to join their organizations. Please consider contacting them and helping as you can.

Daffination of the Day"
"Stoic." Da boid that brings da babies.

The Press Enterprise reports that a layer of rocks under I-80 has caused sections to sink and crack, and several million dollars will be required to repair those sections. The paper reports that in the past three years, almost 3 miles of road at the cost of $3.24 million have been replaced and next year about 12 miles of I-80 are slated for repair. We continue in our position that soon-to-be Guv Rendell should rethink I-99, and send the $60 million for I-99 here in order to make I-80 an interstate on par with others across the United States.

How did local people make their livings in the early 1800's? Battle's History of Columbia County says their occupations included tailor, chair-maker, tinner, carpenter, cooper, blacksmith, cloth dyer, butcher, weaver, cabinet-maker, saddler, wheel-wright, milliner, gunsmith, and silver smith."

The replicas of the area are popular items Back Home in Benton, PA, and the United Methodist Churches of Benton and Central are usually hard at work turning them out. The newest ones coming up are the Presbyterian Church, Market Street, Benton, and the Brass Pelican Restaurant, Elk Grove.

Dealing with people who like history is tough. Many of them are from the old school, like the reader from Florida who wrote yesterday, saying, "In my day, we couldn't afford shoes, so we went barefoot. In the winter we had to wrap our feet with barbed wire for traction."

Jeremy Griffith has 99 wins for Berwick in high school wrestling and is expected to top 100 today at the National High School Coaches Association Wrestling Meet. Jeremy could become Berwick's all-time leader in victories by the end of the season. Jeremy is the grandson of Terry Griffith, Wilmington, DE, and Sally Diltz Griffith, Benton. Last season, Benton's Lee Comstock hit the 100 mark.

Term of the Day: "Fathom."
A nautical measure equal to six feet, and used to measure the depth of water at sea. The word also described taking the measure or "to fathom" something. Today when someone is figuring something out, they are trying to fathom it or get to the bottom of it.

And you thought that everyone in Washington was dumb! The President's new accounting board just held its first meeting six months after it was established. Who are these guys? The President gave them the job of ensuring the integrity of the accounting profession. Among their first orders were to vote each member an annual salary of $452K per year, significantly more than the President gets paid.

Email Tip of the Day:
You can speed up your Outlook Express 6 by using shortcut keystrokes.
If you want to go immediately to the Inbox simply do a Ctrl + I. For reasons we don't understand, this does not work in Microsoft Outlook, only in Outlook Express. You can close Outlook Express or other selected window by pressing Alt + F4.

We are going to start including the Localism of the Day when the sprit moves us and today we use "Dad Gum," which we heard used yesterday morning at L & K Mills. The word is a close kin to "cotton-pickin'" and "gol-darn" in other parts of the country and is a second cousin to "gosh-dang" and "dang-blasted," and we have even heard of "ding-blasted." It is usually used as mock profanity ("Golly"), about the same as "dog-gone" and "son of a gun." And, dad gum it, we betcha you don't know any more now than you did 14 seconds ago and you in fact are saying to yourself, dang-blast it, I knew that! If you have a favorite localism, share it with us and we'll explain it to readers.

January 10, 2003

"The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended--and not to take a hint when a hint isn't intended."
--Robert Frost

Arline Hanna, 69, Volanski Road, Fairmount Township, Benton, died January 8 at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Her husband, Raymond Hanna, died previously. She is survived by two daughters: Renie Passetti, Jacksonville, FL; and Raeline Myers, Wilkes-Barre; three sons: Raymond "Bill", Ronald and Randy, Fairmount Township; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her companion, John Volanski. Services will be held at the convenience of the family.
--from a Press Enterprise obituary

We mentioned the Photo of the Week before, but no one picked up on the fact that the picture is apparently of a three-legged horse. Well, we suppose that it isn't, but it certainly sounds good. The picture was probably taken in front of what at the time was the Fred Wood Harness Shop, Main Street, Benton. When you open the page, you'll recognize the place immediately, and you'll recognize some of the names that we have thrown around. The photo will only be up for a few more days, so take a look pronto!

North Korea announced it is withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, effective immediately. The "effective immediately" part is a shock. Under law, those who exit the treaty are required to give 90-days notice.

The post office feels it needs to raise the price of a stamp in 2004 and is dropping hints that they will file a case with the Postal Rate Commission this year, probably by April.

Churches and organizations who have space on this web site are encouraged to review their content from time to time and let us know if we are outdated or if we can update your information.

The Harrisburg Patriot News had a nice write up January 8 on the authors participating in the Farm Show later in the week, including Benton's Carol Vance. But you don't have to just read about Carol any more, you can actually see her and her demonstration of gourmet food for hunters on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (Channel 62 for GMP Cable), from 1 - 2 on Monday the 13th.

The Energy Information Administration expects gasoline prices to average $1.54 a gallon by mid-spring, about 10 cents a gallon higher than this week's national average.

Microsoft Chairman Billy Gates spent a good time of his keynote address at the International Consumer Electronics Show talking watches. Microsoft (MSFT) plans to create software that will run on a new generation of smart wristwatches and signed Fossil, Citizen and Suunto to join in. The watches will be called Smart Personal Objects Technology (or SPOT), the first product to result from an important initiative within Microsoft to bring information downloaded wirelessly to such mundane objects as watches, refrigerator magnets, tabletop clock radios and wherever you might want to find useful information at a glance. The information will come from FM radio signals using a technology called DirectBand. By the time the watches hit the market, which should be near the 2003 holiday and buying season, more than 100 U.S. cities in all 50 states should be covered by the DirectBand technology. FM? Eh! Well, FM radio covers every square inch of land in the U.S., Canada, and probably most of the world. Some FM signals on subcarrier bands are outside the range of human hearing but are good for transmitting data and these are the bands that Microsoft intends to transmit data to the SPOT watches and whatever other SPOT devices it puts on the market. The watches would contain chips made by National Semiconductor (NSM).

Today's Stupid Tag...
"Do not use the snow blower on the roof."
--submitted by Helen Gammon, Chandler, AZ

One of our favorite columnists from the Washington Post, Lloyd Grove, wrote up a new drink offered by one of our very favorite spots in the whole world, Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. It is called The "Trent Lotte." The $3.25 item consists of "separate but equal parts of coffee and milk." Customers are encouraged to mix them together.

Many locations in the Fishing Creek valley are considered to be in a flood plane by people who have never been in our area. Some politicians in Washington who also have never been in our area forgot to extend the National Flood Insurance Program when it lost its congressional authorization December 31. We are promised that "existing policies that haven't yet expired will still be honored." New policies or renewals cannot be issued until Congress reauthorizes the program. In the meantime, don't even think about a rapid thaw! Some people will be at risk in the event of a flood unless Congress reauthorizes the program retroactively to January 1.

Have you noticed that people who insist on sharing their religious views with you never want you to share yours with them?

You can't ice skate at Paul Hartman's pond any more, but you can go to Berwick and skate at Ber-Vaughn park starting Sunday, weather permitting. The forecast is certainly for cold temperatures.

An effort is underway to enlarge and improve the Borough-owned airport and change its access from "private" to "public." In order to do that, approval is needed from PennDot Transportation's Aviation Department, and they require an expensive feasibility study before the approval is given. This study is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $50,000 and looks at issues of size, access, self-supportability, etc. The length of the present runway is 2,200 feet, and 3,000 feet is required for a public airport. In order to lengthen the runway, it would have to cross what is now Mendenhall Lane, which now is used daily by several residents and by individuals heading into the rodeo grounds. Access to the rodeo grounds, if the West end of Mendenhall Lane were converted for runway use, would be via an entrance through land in Benton Township. For users of the rodeo grounds, it would probably mean entering the grounds from the Waller road along West Creek. Representatives of the Borough, the Township and the Rodeo plan to meet with Bobby T. Vincent, Airport Manager, in the near future to consider the next step.

From the Farmer's Almanac:
* Always expect a thaw in January.
* Fog in January brings a wet spring.
* He that drops a coat on a winter day, Will gladly put it on in May.
* If January calends be summerly gay, It will be winterly weather till the calends of May.

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa has been hurt by weak worldwide aluminum demand and the cost of a sweeping restructuring that will include 8,000 job cuts and the sale of struggling businesses. Alcoa will sell Kawneer North America, including the manufacturing plant at 500 E. 12th Street, Bloomsburg. Alcoa said it lost $223 million and had worse-than-expected fourth-quarter losses. The local plant will go on with "business as usual" for its 450 workers for the time being.

The Press Enterprise reported the following Borough assignments for 2003:
• Kip McCabe as code enforcement officer, Larson Design Group as borough engineer, Joseph Labonte as water and sewer authority member, Harry Jumper as sewage enforcement officer, Joe Peters as street commissioner, C. Cleveland Hummel as solicitor, Carolyn Stevens as secretary, Lynn Watson as chairman of the vacancy board, Frank Beishline as borough surveyor and Warren Nelson as police chief.
• Tom Wenner, Robert Puterbaugh and Lynn Watson: zoning hearing board. Phillip Shultz, Robert Sands, Ken Laubach, Phil Edson and Carl Spiece to the building board of appeals.

PGC officers could fine people who feed black bears, even unintentionally, under a new regulation approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. People are prohibited from deliberately setting out fruit, nuts or any other food for bears and they can't feed birds, squirrels or other animals if that food unintentionally attracts bears. New Jersey and Colorado have similar laws and residents there ignore the law just as they will in this state.

Bonnie Farver, Executive Director of the Columbia County Historical Society today graciously agree to come to Benton to be a guest lecturer for those interested in doing genealogy work in the Benton area. The Historical Society will also be holding lectures at the facility on Market Street, Bloomsburg, and we will keep you posted on that schedule. The Society and its volunteers are very helpful and this is just another example. We mention the lecture since we suggested those in the area who might want to form a loosely knit group to learn more about the subject should contact us. We have had a large response and are saving the names and will contact those interested at a later time. It won't be long until you'll see people with heart palpitations at the sight of gravestones, pockets filled with packets of papers, blood shot eyes, a pale expression on their faces from excessive microfilm exposure, erratic speech patterns--these are the people who will soon be researching their roots. We can hardly wait.

Boxes will start being unloaded at the local Dollar General Store beginning next Thursday. The opening date has not been officially announced, but is widely believed to be about February 1, 2003.

It is hard to believe, but there are western Pennsylvania counties remaining on the drought watch.

The winner of the annual Wacky Warning Label contest uses a label on the massage chair that the company manufacturers that reads: "Do not use massage chair without clothing" and "never force any body part into the backrest area while the rollers are moving." We get the picture.

January 8, 2003

Quote of the Day:
"A bull's-eye, for sure."
--The Wall Street Journal (referring to the proposed tax plan of President Bush)

President Bush's unveiled his proposed tax cuts yesterday, and someone figured out that it totaled an estimated $670 billion over 10 years. That is more numbers than my humble little calculator can display. About half of that amount will come from the proposed elimination of the dividend tax. The overall plan is about twice as big as the White House hinted at last week and everyone knows that it doesn't have a chance of passing in its present form. The proposed cuts will most likely result in Pennsylvania losing revenue since we peg our tax code to federal codes, as do most states. The proposed tax cuts could encourage investors to move into stocks from municipal bonds, and from stocks that do not pay dividends to those that do. When the final plan emerges from Congress, we should see a modest increase in stock prices overall.

Term of the Day: "A hill of beans."
Something of trifling value, as in expressions like "it ain't worth a hill of beans." Head back to when you were a kid and the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. Remember the beans of no value Jack was given in exchange for the cow and the riches revealed by the full-grown beanstalk. We have to conclude that if down through the ages people felt that one bean was worthless, then a whole hill of beans would be even more so...

Benton boy's basketball team had its fourth consecutive victory, 52-41, at Millville Elementary School last night. Tyler Brewington made his first 14 foul shots and put in six in a row in the final two minutes. Always dependable Austin Kelsey finished with a game-high 17 points. Benton (9-5, 2-2) travels to Montgomery on Thursday. Remember that you can get all of today's high school sports program off the side panel under the banner of Benton Area Schools.

Over in Hazleton on route 309, Ernie's Family Steak House closed after 23 years. Ernie's was known for breakfast at the table sizzling in metal skillets. Open since 1979, the current owner said, "The glamour of running a business is not what it's pumped up to be."

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski was sworn in the 108th Congress for his 10th term of office representing the 11th District of Pennsylvania yesterday. He become the second most senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.

Rick's Engine Repair is now open at Fifth and Market Street. Call 925-1002.

“Make no mistake, the New Pennsylvania has turned the corner, and my successor is going to have the opportunity to continue the renewal that we all have worked so hard to spark.”

--Gov. Schweiker

It is not the load that gets you down, it is the way that you carry it.

Microsoft (MSFT) will officially end technical support for Windows 98 and Windows NT June 30. Financial implications for Microsoft will be substantial since there are an estimated 300 million PCs worldwide running these older operating systems.

What is a grandmother? A class of 8-year olds allegedly answered that question, saying, "A grandmother is a lady who has no little children of her own. She likes other people's. A grandfather is a man grandmother. Grandmothers don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also don't step on "cracks." They don't say, "Hurry up." Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out. Grandmothers don't have to be smart. They have to answer questions like "Why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?" When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us. They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we've acted bad."

A recent issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal had an interesting article about water vapor in the soil making seeds germinate. With a relative humidity of close to 99% in soil, seeds don't need to be tightly compacted in the soil to grow. In fact, seeds separated from soil by crop residue still germinated, because the vapor was able to reach them.

Carol Vance has been chosen as a "Pennsylvania Preferred" author to do a book signing and food demonstration at the Pennsylvania Farm Show January 12 and 13. Sponsored by Kitchen Aid, this program honors Pennsylvania products and authors who promote state products. Carol will prepare venison tenderloin January 13 at 1 PM on the newly created Culinary Arts Stage, followed by a book signing. She will also sign books and talk to hunters and cooks January 12 at 7 PM, and again at 11 AM on January 13.

An organization calling itself the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy concludes that Pennsylvania families in the middle-income range (earning between $28,000 and $45,000 a year) pay 8.8% of their total income in state and local sales, property and income taxes.

"The guy is not irrational. The North Koreans always carefully map these things out in advance."
-- Former U.S. diplomat Joel Wit

January 7, 2003

It is hard to keep up with the neighbors without falling behind with the creditors.

David Frost, the television interviewer, loved "crossing jokes." He would put two names together to get a third. If you can solve the crossing jokes below, he may invite you to appear on his program if he is so lucky to get another show. Then, again, he may not. The answers are at the end...
1. Cross a cowboy with a gourmet and you get a ...
2. Cross Jimmy Durante with an employment agency and you get a ...
3. Cross a zebra with an ape-man and you get ...

Saddam now apparently feels that war is inevitable, since he is starting to use rhetoric that calls the U.S. "a small midget" and says that U.S. officials are "wicked assistants of Satan."

The White House says its $600 billion economic stimulus plan will give 100 million taxpayers more than a $1,000 tax break each this year. President Bush's package includes eliminating taxes on paid dividends by shareholders. The White House says the dividend tax cut could drive stocks 10% higher. And it certainly won't hurt the senior citizen voters for the 2004 Presidential election!

The town council meeting last night resulted in calling for writing an ordinance creating a stop sign at Third and Colley Streets, sharply higher fines for parking violations including not obeying street restrictions during and following snow storms, and disagreements over the allocation of available police time.

Jack Edwards signed the guest book yesterday from Houston, and found fault with the Camp Lavigne article, saying, we "failed to mention that a headless man named John Morgan hangs around on those old tracks swinging a lantern. It was enough to keep Cub Scouters back in 1958 in their tents and under the covers at night. Thinking about ghosts, what about the old woman on the bridge near Grassmere?" Well, we don't know diddly about John Morgan and suspect that the later reference was to Lily Cole. We did consult Clair Harvey, but he didn't know, saying simply, "I guess he still had his head on in the late 40s when I was in camp." Can a reader help us out here?

Twenty-seven cars of a lumbering, slow-moving Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed early Monday morning on the East side of the Susquehanna near Wapwallopen, spilling up to 100,000 pounds of watery clay into a nearby wetland. There were no apparent injuries or environmental impact. About 1,200 feet of track will have to be rebuilt. The derailed cars were carrying both dry clay and clay mixed with water.

With only three days after the Farm Show ends before the inauguration takes place in the Farm Show building, the cleanup crews will break out the breath mints, the pooper scoopers, and the barrels of air freshener in anticipation of a new administration in the state. If you attend the inauguration, watch for trail markers on the floor as a waltzing you go!

Cross a cowboy with a gourmet and you get a Hopalong Casserole. Cross Jimmy Durante with an employment agency and you get a nose job. Cross a zebra with an ape-man and you get Tarzan stripes forever.

Because so many of our readers seem never to have dipped their feet in the tranquil waters of Fishing Creek, we get many inquiries about who people are that we mention. Several weeks ago, we started writing a history of significant Benton people and we are up to about 100 now. We can't include everyone and our list won't be popular with those who don't make it. We have written a paragraph about each person on the list, just as a broad brush introduction. We will eventually include the list under the name PERSONALITIES on the side bar. We aren't ready to release the list yet, but we will this afternoon at 3 PM send out a sample of a personality we like, this one from the town of Central. You'll enjoy reading the article by David Dinsmore, Oxon Hill, Maryland, and we thank him for his contribution.

January 6, 2003. On this date in 1412, if tradition can be believed, Joan of Arc was born in Domremy. In 1945, George Herbert Walker Bush married his sweetie Barbara Pierce in Rye, NY.

Prayers are needed for James Edson Friday as he faces a heart cauterization at Geisinger Hospital.

U.S. regulators will reportedly stop forcing local phone companies to rent out their networks to rivals at discounted rates, which would be a blow to companies like AT&T and WorldCom trying to compete with companies like Verizon Communications for local phone service business. The move would be a significant change in FCC rules. But forget about regular stocks, look at both gold stocks as gold hit a six-year high and U.S. crude near its two-year high of $33.65.

Sullivan County is warming up this morning, following the lack of electricity from Wednesday through Sunday, the result of an ice and the snow storm that hit on January 1 and 3. Rain started on New Year's Day and turned to ice by evening. Power lines and poles were damaged by the ice and the weighted limbs that fell during the storm, with residents of the northern part of Sullivan County hit the hardest. As workers repaired damage from the ice storm, another storm hit Friday that brought over a foot of snow. Further North, Binghamton recorded 17 inches of snow, the most ever recorded on January 3. Trees were still falling on power lines Sunday and the National Weather Service shows a chance of snow for each of the days of this week. The Monday temperature in Benton at press time was 25° with spits of snow falling.

The Pennsylvania State Farm Show has been a January tradition in the Keystone State since 1936. It is Pennsylvania's farm version of a state fair. The week-long event January 11 through January 18 is billed as a celebration of the state's $44 billion farming industry and the roughly 50,000 families who still farm the land. It combines livestock exhibits, more than 325 commercial exhibits, competitions, entertainment and food, lots and lots of farm-fresh food. The Farm Show features a 27,000 square foot food court. If you are unable to attend, turn to PCN for video coverage. If you like polka music, be there Thursday, January 16, at 6 PM. The facility has grown from 16 to 24 acres during its $86 million expansion and renovation and the duration of the show has expanded from six to eight days. This year, there are these expanded areas:
• Expo Hall, the size of four football fields, with 175,000 square feet. The facility's "old" Main Exposition Hall measures 145,000 feet.
• Equine Arena, a new arena with 1,800 blue seats and 39,200 square feet of exhibit space. The Large Arena has 7,400 seats.
• Equine Barn, which can house 140 draft horses.
• Two-level corridor, which connects the new buildings with the old
16-acre complex. The lower level is for animals and their handlers, while the upper level is for people. Near Maclay Street is more familiar territory: the Large Arena, Northeast Hall, North Hall, Northwest Hall, East Hall, Sale Arena (new name for the Small Arena), West Hall and Main Exhibition Hall.
• On the second floor of the Northeast Building is a banquet hall.
The old cafeteria upstairs from the Main Exhibition Hall is a bunk room and business room.

The L.R. Appleman Elementary School's Web Site, http://www.bentonsd.k12.pa.us/elementary/info.html, is often overlooked, but is very informative. Please take a look and when you get a chance rummage through all of the Benton Area School System's web pages. There is lots of information here.

In case we ever throw a quiz about the 15th President of the United States, here are some facts: James Buchanan (1791-1868) was born in a log cabin at Cove Gap, near Mercersburg. He graduated from the Old Stone Academy, Mercersburg, and Dickinson College, Carlisle, Class of 1809. His accomplishments:
• PA House of Representatives 1815-1816
• US House of Representatives 1821-1831
• US Minister to Russia 1832-1833
• US Senate 1834-1845
• Secretary of State 1845-1849 under President Polk
• Minister to Great Britain 1853-1856
• President of the United States March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861

On the subject of baseball, Dayne Hartman wrote:
• "We had teams in Benton divided by the north and south. This evolved into a joint team that played Millville, Stillwater, teams in Bloomsburg and any place else we could get a game. Charlie Hess owned the Benton Meat market, located next to the old Benton Hotel. Arley Meeker, our town policeman and street commissioner, often drove us to games in the back of Mr. Hess' meat truck otherwise we hitched hiked to games. When we were teams in Benton, Mr. Hess would treat the winner to a soda at Albert Casey's restaurant. It was located between Harry Hess' and Guy Millers barber shop. Charlie Hess was father of Helen Strauch."
• Bob Casey loaned us a picture of the 1939 Benton baseball team going after their first Tri-County pennant. Players included mascots Richard and Bobby Casey, sons of the Benton manager; Max Hess, Earl Davis, Dick Snyder, Albert Casey, Manager; Glen Laubach and "Bucky" Knouse; "Teg" Wenner, Kenneth Beach, Arthur Wenner, "Ted" Wenner, Allen DeWald and Oran Fornwald.

There is always room for improvement; actually, it is the biggest room in the house.

Arcadia Word of the Day:
GRAIN (adj). Mixture of yellow and blue.
Usage: "Howscum yur grain with envy?"

Buying "previously played" VCR tapes is a good local bargain at Fireside Video, Center Street. Many good titles are available three for $10. We betcha that if you look, you'll buy some.

Incoming Guv Rendell is backing plans to build nine miles of Interstate 99 through wetlands and wildlife habitat near Altoona. An alternate idea should be forgetting about the project entirely! Goodness! The 75-mile project will link Interstate 80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Altoona and will never have traffic flow sufficient to merit the expense the state plans on road construction. We can think of a road redesign close to home that is more deserving, we think. Interstate 80 was builst in 1958 and barely touched since then. Going East from Lightstreet, the road needs widening on the shoulders, and there is virtually no lighting on many entrance ramps. Building new superhighways while medieval, potholed roads like Interstate 80 continues to languish makes no sense at all. Rendell should think about I-99 a bit longer, and send the $60 million for I-99 here while he ponders the problem.