September 29 & 30, 2011. Expect rain Thursday and the possibility of showers Friday and Saturday with cooling temperatures. This sure feels like Fair-week weather. The bridge over Raven Creek on Route 239 South of Benton is now open.
September 29, 2011. It is the birthday of Kenneth R. Lewis, Rod Deitrick, Chuck Chapman, Craig Merluzzi and Tim Franklin. It was on this day in 1776 that the Continental Congress officially named its new union of sovereign states the "United Sates." Today is the Jewish New Year known as Rosh Hashanah which is considered the "birthday of the world." This observance takes place each year ten days before Yom Kippur. Together, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as "High Holy Days." Jewish tradition holds that during the High Holy Days God decides who will live and who will die during the coming year. During the High Holy Days and in the days leading up to them, Jews examine their lives and repent for any wrongs they have committed during the previous year. Jews make amends with anyone they have wronged and make plans for improving during the coming year.September 30, 2011, the birthday of Courtney Foust, Jill McHenry, Henrietta Erney and Lynn Musser. Louisa May Alcott, Truman Capote, Angie Dickinson, Johnny Mathis and Deborah Kerr were born on this day. On this day in 1927, Babe Ruth hit his 60th homer of the season to break his own major-league record.
Phil and Laurie Edson have chestnuts for sale. Stop by their porch at 470 Third, $2 a pound.
Didja know that every day, more than 100 million cubic feet of natural gas is flared? Learn about the deliberate burning of natural gas by oil companies rushing to extract oil from the Bakken shale field to take advantage of the high price of crude. The gas bubbles up alongside the more valuable oil, and the drillers treat the gas as waste and simply burn it. While we're on the subject of natural gas, let's talk about the 170,000-square-mile Utica Shale under parts of eight states and Canada. Utica Shale is a few thousand feet below and thicker than the Marcellus Shale. The current quarterly report from Chesapeake notes that it holds 18 of the 24 permits to drill into the Utica in eastern Ohio. The company holds 1.25 million leased acres with approximately $15 to $20 billion in recoverable products in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. Chesapeake currently has five rigs drilling in the Utica Shale, with plans to have eight by the end of 2011, 16 to 20 rigs by year-end 2012 and at least 40 rigs by year-end 2014.
The Bloomsburg University 2011 Low Brass Fest is coming Saturday, October 1. Mike Milnarik has come down from Boston to be the guest clinician. He will have items available for sale at the event.
Long-term school directors are being honored across the state by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association at local school-board meetings. School directors are recognized for years of service ranging from 8 to 48 years.
Geraldine Newhart, a member of the Benton Area School District’s Board of Directors, recently received recognition for 28 years of service. Kathy Swope, PSBA Susquehanna River/Region 6 Director and President of the Lewisburg Area School District’s Board of Directors, presented a plaque adding Mrs. Newhart to the PSBA “Honor Roll of School Board Service.”
Mrs. Newhart said that she became a board member because she was educated as a teacher and is very much interested in what happens in the schools.
Penny Lenig-Zerby, Superintendent of Benton Area School District, added that the district is fortunate to have such a dedicated-board member whose primary concern is for the betterment of the students.
This is the last edition of the Benton News. I have enjoyed my time here with you over the years, but it is time to move on. I look forward to the yawn of a new day when I don't have to write. One way to live longer is to cut out the things that you want to live longer for--and that is what I will do with the Benton News.
If you are an email subscriber to the Benton News, from time to time I'll send along an article that I find interesting and want to share with you. If you read the Benton News on the internet, I will eventually post at the Benton News site how you can read future ramblings from Back Home in Benton, PA, and will tell you how to link back to the old Benton News if there is something that you would like to read. The Facebook site for the Benton News continues to be active--16 signed up yesterday, as an example. The Benton News bulletin board is giving me fits. A web crawler from Finland posts an occasional link to double-click to see nude pictures of various women. Ray McCourt is writing a routine to keep these pests off, and eventual that will be an excellent way of informing the Benton News readers of what is taking place in the future.
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Dennis Miller on The O'Reilly Factor said that if "Herman Cain wins the Republican presidential nomination, the campaign slogan could be Cain vs. Unable.
There will be a FFA and 4-H livestock show and sale October 14, 15 and 16 at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. There will be food. This is a free event, and open to all. .....Didja see the new Hallmark cards that say "Sorry you lost your job?" The cards come preaddressed to your Congressman.
Wednesday was the last day that dumpsters will be located in the borough for flood-debris pickup.
Miriam C. Johnson (April 13, 1923-September 24, 2011), Route 487, Lehet Mobile Home Park, Benton, died Saturday at the Bonham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Register. She was 88.
Miriam was born in Clarks Summit. She was the daughter of James and Carrie (Yaple) Chapin. She graduated from Huntington Mills High School and first worked at Nanticoke State Hospital as a lab technician. She retired from the Ronnie Dress Factory, Shickshinny, and did custom sewing in her home.
She was an active member of First United Methodist Church, Shickshinny, where she was the organist for 43 years and served as financial secretary of the church. She served for many years as organist at Patterson Grove Methodist Campground. After moving to Benton seven years ago, she attended Benton United Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by a grandson, Robert Morgan; and by brothers Harold and George Chapin. Surviving are her husband, Harold "Butch" Johnson, whom she married June 9, 1944; a son, Jamie Johnson, Shickshinny; a daughter, Mrs. Gary (Kay) Morgan, Kirkwood; two grandsons, Bryan and Tyson Morgan; one great-granddaughter, Elaina Morgan; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be Friday, September 30, at 1 PM at Benton United Methodist Church. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Pine Hill Cemetery, Shickshinny. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or to Columbia Montour Home Hospice, 410 Glenn Ave., Suite 200, Bloomsburg PA 17815. Arrangements are under the direction of the Mayo Funeral Home Inc., Shickshinny. For additional information, or to send condolences, visit www.mayofh.com.
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Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27 and 28, 2011. Warmer weather will be around through Thursday; chance of showers or rain possible through Friday.
September 27, the 270th day of 2011, with 86 days until the official start of winter. Today is the birthday of Lee Fritz, Amy Traugh, Jeremy Reese, William Young, Kathy Ball, Dan Klementik and Ed Kocher. At one time, the 27th of September was a big day in Benton. It was the birthday of Mahlon Strauch and he always invited the "birthday boys" to celebrate with him. Dan Klementik, Jim Dildine and Ed Kocher (with May birthday girl Yvonne Unbewust Lenbergs, the "little girl the Strauch family never had," thrown in just to bring some beauty to the room), along with "little Jimmy Vance," would assemble at Mahlon's bakery for a birthday celebration.
September 28, 2011, the birthday of Tara Lehet Grigas, Mary Bobchak Carter, Taylor Iddings, Jeff Remley and Dan Hartman. Bruce and Melanie Anderson celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Gosh, how we miss the "Hurr-ee! Hurr-ee! Hurr-ee! Get your tickets now..." that we liked to hear at this time of the year at the Bloomsburg Fair.Don't expect big payouts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the end of September. October 1 is the start of the government's new fiscal year and the agency estimates that it can limp along through Friday. Congress was at loggerheads until last night when the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement ending the dispute over disaster-relief spending that threatened to cause a partial shutdown of the government at the end of the week over the Harry Reid legislation to provide FEMA money without offsetting spending. The measure now go to the House.
FEMA's web site to apply for disaster assistance, www.disasterassistance.gov, was not at all confusing and didn't take the twenty minutes to complete that some had predicted. You can also apply by calling 800 621-3362.
FEMA has released more than $38 million in disaster-relief funds for Commonwealth residents affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. More than 21,000 individuals or families have applied for aid from 16 counties in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. If you need to visit a disaster-recovery center, go to Columbia County Ag Center from 10 AM to 7 PM daily. It is located at 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg.
Quickies...
• Major-league baseball wrapped up its 200,000 game over the weekend. Over the years that it took to achieve that record, more than "260,000 home runs, more than 1.8 million runs, more than 3.5 million hits and more than 10 million outs were recorded dating to Game 1 in 1876," according to Major League Baseball. Baseball's regular season is scheduled to end Wednesday night, and the postseason will begin with both American League Division Series openers on Friday.
• The temperature Sunday hit 80°. The heat of the fall reminded me of a video of a dog who decided that he needed to get into the pool, but the pool was outside where it was too hot. The dog had a solution. To see the dog's solution, go to www.wimp.com/swimoutside/ .• There will be a flood clean-up at Kocher Park on Saturday, October 1, from 9 AM to noon. There will be a second clean-up on October 22.It's been 375 years since John Talcott and his wife, Dorothy, settled in Hartford with the Rev. Thomas Hooker 375 years ago. The descendants of the Talcotts recently reunited by tracing their history across the state that their forefathers helped create.Gahrad Harvey was instrumental in assembling the first national Talcott reunion of about 90 members of the Talcott family who came from 16 states and as far away as California and Washington. Last Wednesday, the Talcotts met with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Watch a video of the event by going here.
The seeds of the reunion were planted when Gahrad made his first step beyond what he knew about Samuel David Talcott who moved to Pennsylvania from Davenport, New York, in 1867. He knew his parents, Horatio and Sally Ann Talcott, and his siblings had lived in Davenport.
In 1998, Gahrad attended a local genealogy meeting where he was introduced to the computer and the internet. He asked the leader to search the internet for “Talcott.” Gahrad was amazed and hooked! He later found a family genealogy that contained information from England and America from 1558 to 1876 and discovered his great, great grandfather, Horatio, in the lineage of John Talcott, the Colonist, who had come to America with the Massachusetts Bay Company and settled in Newtown (Cambridge, MA) . Further study revealed why the Hooker group relocated to Hartford, CT. Gahrad was deeply impressed with John Talcott's leadership qualities and achievements in Braintree, England; Newtown, MA, and Hartford, CT.
At the Talcott family reunion in 2000, Gahrad told the John Talcott story and how he "wanted to someday take a bus load of our family to Cambridge to see where the Talcott family started in America." He then contacted a Talcott reunion group in Vail, Colorado, to join in a group reunion. The Talcott family in Wilkes Barre, was the next to join in. The reunion was on!
Gayle Brooks, Dahlonega, Georgia, has several documents pertaining to Mary A. Kline, her mother, Minnie Kramer, and her husband, William, all deceased. The documents include marriage certificates, death certificates, bills of sale, photographs, and receipts, including a funeral purchase record when Mary's body was shipped from Florida to Millville where the Marvin L. Poust Funeral Home took charge of arrangements for her burial in 1966. Gayle wants to pass these documents to Mary's descendants, at her own expense, but she need help in locating them. Can any reader help?.
Amy Harding's Troupe, Alchemy, will be in the auditorium at Benton High School at 2 PM Sunday, October 16, as part of the 4th anniversary banquet in The Center's gymnasium.
Admission to the performance is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students. Any dance student can get in free by calling 925-6972 in advance. Their tickets will be available at a will-call table the day of the dance, but they must be reserved in advance. The cost of dance-student tickets will be paid by attorney Elwood and Dolores Harding, Bloomsburg.
Many will remember how in 1964 Barry Goldwater jumped on Social Security but then backed away from his comments after his Republican opponents and the press jumped all over him. Rick Perry finds himself in about the same position following his characterization of Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme." Perry is back peddling from his initial attack on Social Security and now says he will "shore up the program" and that, by darn, is a "slam-dunk" guarantee. Goldwater went on to be the Republican nominee but Democrat Lyndon Johnson whupped him easily in the nation polls. It is doubtful that Perry will ever be able to convince seniors that Social Security will be safe from him.
The fact is that Social Security will be okay for the next quarter century. Using other's calculations, the surplus of collections over payments will keep growing until about 2022 until more baby boomers retire and start collecting. About 2035 is when the big changes kick in. Despite a lot of political bantering, nothing much is going to happen to Social Security until after the next presidential election. And only expect it to happen in an odd-numbered year, when members of Congress aren’t on the ballot.
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Sunday, September 25, and Monday, September 26, 2011,
September 25, 2011, the birthday of Karen Carrathers Whitmoyer and Wayne McMichael III. It is the wedding anniversary of David and Connie Shaffer.September 26, 2011, the birthday of Kurt Hornstra and Ellis Laubach. It is the wedding anniversary of Melody and Scott Masich and Clair and Marlene Harvey. The monthly meeting of the Benton Area School District’s Board of Directors originally scheduled and advertised for September 19 has been rescheduled for tonight at 6:30 in the elementary cafeteria.
Didja ever think that politicians act a little like the husband
who stands at the foot of the bed
and explains how good things are going to be?Quickies...• Patrons at the Sub Shop had a treat Thursday when a bald eagle landed in Fishing Creek in plain view of everyone in the restaurant. Fishing Creek has one less trout today as a result of that landing.
• If you haven't sampled "Fair Food" this year, you can get it starting Wednesday at the Brass Pelican or in Bloomsburg. Go here to see the stands set up along Route 11.• Pictures of flooded areas in Montoursville and Muncy, concentrating on roads and bridges, can be viewed here.
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The gray, overcast days we have been having are enough to send anyone into a depression. Mother always seemed to enjoy days like this. It was a time to gossip with her friends.
Okay, okay, most of us think that gossip is some kind of evil thing, an abomination in the eyes of the righteous--a sin in which we all indulge while deeply repenting in private and loudly denying in public.Mother felt that good gossip from the mouths of women handled correctly was a tool for turning public opinion. The "girls" would get together and after they had discussed the ideas they had there was almost no chance that the gossip would end in that room.A simple story would be embellished to make the moral of the story more appealing. A story might start with a person taking a "nip" from a bottle during a hot haying session. The story could then spread that someone else saw the man drunk and came home and beat his wife. The story could spread that the woman sank into a serious mental state and ran "back home" to be with her mother with a divorce being considered. Two months later when the woman came home with a new baby in her arms, the women welcomed her and asked her to join them in the weekly teas where the topic of conversation was--you guessed it--gossip.Mother once told me something to the effect that there are "souls writhing in hell that have been sent there by a gossiper's double-edged tongue." She would then retreat to the telephone where she called her friend Sue so the two could gossip their gossip.Women's gossip back "in the day" centered on the home and almost never on politics. The women could chat about domestic joys and troubles by the hour. The women gossiped because they liked news, and especially local news. Sure, they read the Morning Press, but they turned to gossip for the real news that was never printed and which was only circulated privately. How much did Mrs. Smith's new couch cost? What about the engagement of "so and so?"The secret of gossip was simple. Women knew that friendship and social intimacy were the chief things that kept life worth living. With some women, gossip was simply a pastime and with others it was a deliberate choice. I knew an attorney's wife who loved to gossip in her neighborhood, which was also where her husband practiced law. She would throw out little tidbits of information knowing that bombshells of information would be returned. She was of great assistance to her husband in his work.Didja ever think that it was strange
that only one company makes the game "Monopoly?"The September 2011 Flood took its toll on expected low spots in the borough, but because of the sheer volume of water--some residents reported 15" of rain--flooding happened in places where it wasn't expected. A substantial volume of water followed a natural ground swale on land owned by Brian Campbell north of the borough and followed what appeared to be an old creek bed heading into the Green Acres area of the borough. On its way, the creek stormed through Stoney Acres Nursery, capturing fuel tanks in the process.
In the following picture, the path of the flooding water is visible. Pumpkins, watermelons and cantelope lined the edges of the waterway. This picture is looking toward Benton from the north and was taken close to Fishing Creek. Where the water ran, the ground is now brown. Where the water ended, the vegetation is green.
The following picture looks toward the former Harry Laubach farm in a north-northwest angle. The path of the water is evident and from the matting of vegetation it is apparent that water moved through this area at a rapid speed. The water flowed along irrigation lines on the ground.
By looking carefully at the following picture, you'll see the dike on the left side of the picture is about four feet higher than the opening from the field at the far end of the picture. This opening has been used to access Fishing Creek during the crop-growing season. Water running at the depths it ran during Tropical Depression Lee simply dumped through the opening and headed south following an old creek bed rather than staying in the banks of Fishing Creek. This is not the source of flooding in the area around the elementary school, which penetrated the dike system further downstream from this spot. Flooding in the area around the high school, the park and Market Street primarily came from a break in the dike a hundred feet south of the food-service area in the park.
One of the reasons that water came pouring through the depression in the dike is that the creek was nearly plugged a few hundred feet south of the dip in the dike. Here is a view of Fishing Creek while shows the build-up of debris in the creek. The creek is very narrow at this point because of the build-up of trees cross-threaded in the creek.
This area remains an accident waiting to happen during a future major storm. Whether it is the Soil Conservation Group or the U. S. Army of Engineers that takes the lead on correcting this problem, something needs to be done. Fishing Creek must be cleaned out. There is talk of building more dikes along the creek, which might protect a stretch of creek but would lead to additional downstream flooding. It is important that DeP understand what their actions to keep machinery out of the creek is costing the local residents.
Herman Wenson, Third Street, a prominent architect who lived in Rahway for many years and the father of Rahway City Councilwoman Jennifer Wenson-Maier, passed away Wednesday in the Columbia Montour Home Hospice at Maria Hall, Danville. He was 88.
Born in Queens, NY, Mr. Wenson lived in Long Island City, NY and Rahway for many years before moving to Benton in 1990. He was self-employed as a professional engineer and registered architect for more than 40 years before retiring in 1990. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Architects. He was a graduate of CCNY.
“Mr. Wenson was a prominent architect who literally changed the face of Rahway and this is a sad loss,” said James J. Devine, a Democratic strategist and author. “His enduring legacy still contributes to the city’s prosperity and well-being through his children, among whom are Councilwoman Jenny Wenson-Maier and the Waiting Room owner Chris Wenson. Our hearts go out to the family.”
“I knew Herman Wenson personally and worked with him as well, so I know he was a true gentleman and professional,” said former Mayor James Kennedy. “His family has been a major part of our community both in government and business. They’ve been an integral part of our development and progress and this is a loss for our entire community.”
Mr. Wenson was a World War II US Army Veteran, serving in Company A 68th Armored Infantry. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart.
His first wife, Mary Wenson, died in 1952. Surviving is his wife of 58 years Jean (Kellner), and children Margaret, Erik, Joseph, Christopher, Jennifer, Robert, Michael, Paul and Marie. He was loved by grandchildren Marc, John, Oliver, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Jessie, Dylan, Stewart, Stephen, Kimberly, Kevin, Kenneth and George.
Services will be held in the Crucifix Chapel of St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia, on Saturday, September 24, at 11 AM. Burial will be private. Visitation was Friday in the Pettit-Davis Funeral Home, 371 West Milton Avenue, Rahway.
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State Game Lands #13 and #57 in Sullivan, Luzerne and Wyoming counties experienced significant damage caused by recent flooding. Road damage to several roads that are normally open to public travel during hunting season have been affected. The Game Commission is working to open as many miles of roads as possible to maximize hunter access in the upcoming season. All roads have been affected to some degree and travel should be taken with caution. The following is a summary of roads that are open, those that will be open but modified, and those that will be closed until further notice. Any projected road openings are subject to change.
State Game Lands #13. Sullivan County. Roads currently open include Masonite, Flynn, Old Berwick Turnpike, Hottenstien, Cherry Ridge and Grassy Hollow to just below Lewis Falls. Newell Road is expected to be open from the parking lot near SR 487 for 2.2 miles to just past Open Run by October 15. Fishing Creek Road is closed until further notice.
State Game Lands #57. Wyoming/Luzerne Counties. Mountain Spring Road is open for 4.3 miles from SR 487 to the intersection with Railroad Grade Road. Railroad Grade Road is expected to be open for 4.5 miles from the intersection of Mountain Spring Road to Beth Run by October 15. There is no access to Railroad Grade Road from Noxen. Cider Run Road is closed until further notice.
Picture courtesy of William M. Williams, Pennsylvania Game Commission Land Management Officer
Fishing Creek Road, just outside of Elk Grove, a popular road with hunters. Road should extend to where pipe outlet is on forefront of picture. This is about four miles from the gate near Laurel Run. There are smaller washouts between the gate and this spot that are treacherous and need to be repaired before the road can be open. There is major damage near Slip Run. Roads may be opened prior to projected dates if conditions permit.
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September 23 and September 24, 2011. The weather through Monday is summed up as soggy.
September 23, the birthday of Bubba Heaps, Scott M Roper, Tabitha Evans, Dennis Janney, Alvin Lynn and Kitty Maynes. Kitty is 94 today. She was born in Allentown where she and Bob met and married November 23, 1946. The couple have four children: Ann Conrad, manager of a Health insurance firm in Liberty, NY; Mary Jo, Chair of History at the University of Minnesota; Bob, Sales Manager of Mathews Brothers Windows in Maine; and Bill, Cureater of The Fields Sculpture Park in Ghent, NY. When Bob and Kitty met, Bob's sister Pat, had been married for two years to her brother, Wilbur Price, who retired as a Colonel. Pat and Wilbur built a log home on Fritz Hill, where Pat, his widow, still resides..September 24, the birthday of Keith Bankes, Joe Helwig and Lauri Edson. Wayne and Lois McMichael and Edie and Bob Witchie, Lightstreet, celebrate wedding anniversaries.Didja ever notice that while he was creating wives,God promised men that good and obedient wiveswould be found in all corners of the world?And then He made the earth round.Health...
• On Saturday, September 24 from 10 AM to 4 PM, The Center will hold a free tetanus shot clinic provided by Agape. The clinic is for all residents in Columbia County who have been affected by the flood and have a FEMA number. To receive your free shot, bring your FEMA number and a form of identification. If you do not have a FEMA number for this shot clinic, there will be additional opportunities to obtain one; there will also be other clinics in the near future. If you have not received a tetanus shot within the last five years, you are eligible to receive one. If you have received a tetanus injection within that time period, another one is not necessary now. There are a limited number of units, so shots will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information please call The Center at 925-0163.
• Columbia Montour Home Health and Hospice is hosting a flu-vaccine clinic on Wednesday, October 5, and Thursday, October 13, from 8 AM to noon at the Outpatient Laboratory Services building, Route 487, Benton. The clinic is open to everyone 18 years and older who would like the vaccine. The vaccine is covered by insurance plans Medicare Part B, GHP, and GHP Gold. Payment options for all others will be $28 cash. Call 784-1723 to make an appointment or for flu-shot clinic information.
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PPL environmental preserves along the Susquehanna River are cleaning up and making repairs. The Riverlands recreation area and wetlands will remain closed until further notice until electricity and water are restored. Park facilities will be reopened when conditions are safe for the public. The Susquehanna Energy Information Center remains opened during weekdays and for scheduled programs, including one on Sunday, September 25, on the "Marvelous Wild Mushrooms of PA." The presentation is from 1:30 to 3:30 PM and will be given by Bill Russell. Mushrooms seem to pop up overnight in gardens, fields and forests. Some are colorful, others drab. They grow in a variety of fantastic shapes and can be difficult to identify. Bill Russell, author of “Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic,” will help unravel the often confusing world of mushroom identification. The program will begin indoors with a slide show on wild mushrooms of Pennsylvania, then the group will head outside to look for and identify mushrooms!
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The Williams Companies, Inc., an integrated natural-gas company that produces, gathers, processes and transports natural gas, must like other companies comply with SEC regulations to file a quarterly report in Form 10-Q format to give investors the status of how its business is doing after three months of operation. These reports compare the last quarter of a company to the current quarter and last years quarter to this years quarter. The Williams current 10-Q submission is available to read here. The Williams' admissions in this submission are interesting.
The report indicates that the company "incurred approximately $8 million of exploratory drilling costs in connection with a well in the Marcellus Shale area of Columbia County, Pennsylvania." The location of the well is not identified, but it is most certainly the Martin Well, adjacent to St. Gabriels Church off Route 487.
The drilling during 2010 and 2011 produced "initial results" that were "inconclusive." Williams continues to repeat the party line that it continues "to assess the reserves and the economic and operating viability of this well. If upon completion of additional testing, we determine that economic reserves are not present, these capitalized costs will be expensed as exploratory dry-hole costs."
The company continues, "If such determination were made, we would assess the impact of that decision on our ability to recover the remaining lease acquisition costs associated with this acreage in Columbia County. Such assessment would include our plans to continue drilling in this area. If a determination is made to not continue development in the approximately 7,900 acres associated with this area, we could incur a potential impairment of these costs of up to $40 million."
Williams announced earlier in September that it may delay the spinoff of its exploration and production business until market conditions are more suitable. The spinoff had been targeted to complete before the end of September with the spin off the remaining interest to Williams shareholders next year. Williams confirmed that it intends to separate the exploration and production business.Williams continues full speed ahead on its core-pipeline business. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the company reiterated its $5.6 billion, all-cash bid to take over rival pipeline company Southern Union Co.
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Things are murky in the courts of Pennsylvania when it comes to a simple definition of "mineral" according to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. A lack of case law makes it difficult to determine who legitimately controls drilling rights and the natural gas in the Marcellus shale. A Susquehanna County Common Pleas court will hold a hearing to decide if Marcellus shale is a mineral. Although we are pretty sure the shale is neither a vegetable or animal, the Commonwealth feels that case law is unclear and therefore who legitimately controls drilling rights is unclear. A state Supreme Court ruling in 1882, known as the "Dunham rule," (Dunham & Shortt v. Kirkpatrick, 101 Pa. 36 (1882) states that a reservation of 'all minerals' in a deed does not include oil) ruled that any land deal involving mineral rights but not specifically addressing gas or oil essentially does not transfer those oil and gas rights along with the minerals. The ruling could place in jeopardy Marcellus contracts in the Commonwealth.This afternoon I head to Wilkes University where a herd of people will likely come up to me, extend their hand and say "Remember me? I was in your Economics 203 class in the fall of 1960," or something of that nature. Heck, I can't remember much of anything that happened in 1960 other than John F. Kennedy announcing he was a candidate for the office of the President of the United States. I certainly won't remember this aging, enthusiastic person.I prepared for this day. I had the yearbook out and cross referenced faces with names, and sports with athletics and instructors with classes.For the classmates I was once close with, we'll probably reminisce about our old neighborhood where I lived--275 South Franklin Street--now a parking lot serving the Wilkes gymnasium. The building was a three-story mansion named in honor of Obidiah Gore. Obidiah and his brother were the first to figure out that anthracite coal worked just fine in their blacksmith shop, and through their success anthracite was burned in a grate in the old Fell house. The rest was history. The future role of coal in America was assured!Gore got land though the Connecticut grant and participated in the Pennamite war partly with the help of a wooden cannon he build. The canon exploded when it was fired, but the damage was done and the enemy fussed about this new force. Gore built a still, then opened a "house of entertainment" (tavern) which gained him enough friends so that he could become an associate judge of Luzerne county. He served two terms in the state legislature. His home was acquired by Wilkes and made into a dormitory which held 22 students in grand style. I had the good fortune of being president of Gore Hall for several years.There were other places in Wilkes-Barre that left an impression. There were Pomeroy's and Fowler, Dick and Walker, the Boston Store, long before college students could buy their clothes at Walmart. Cameras were not a big deal back then, but "Hur*Jax for Photo Supplies" was the place to go. The Frank Martz Company provided local service "in the valley," was the way to travel to New York city and at one time was the largest individual bus company on the east coast. There was a cafeteria on Northampton street, Percy A. Brown & Company, that was a favorite when women from Benton "motored" (as Mother was fond of saying) to Wilkes-Barre.As a college student, we made many a stop at 243 South Main Street at the restaurant owned by Ray Hottle. Bartender Sam Weinstein came from Wilkes-Barre to all the Caldwell Consistory reunions in Bloomsburg. George, Frederick and Christian Stegmaier were leaders in the Democratic Party back in the late 1800s, but that is not the reason we liked to visit the Stegmaier place of business Friday afternoons when we didn't have class on Saturday.Wilkes had many gracious homes, many former homes of attorneys, along the Susquehanna River on the campus of Wilkes. The McClintock family raised three generations of lawyers in one great house at 44 South River Street which eventually became part of Wilkes as a gift by Gilbert McClintock who served as a trustee of the college.
Sotheby’s once called attorney George Catlin, a Wilkes-Barre boy, "the most significant pictorial historian of the American West.” Catlin was a son of one of the first attorneys admitted to practice in Luzerne County. His mother was a little girl during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming and was captured by the Indians. George Catlin's paintings show a definite interest in Native Americans and that is what made him famous. Wilkes' Catlin Hall is at 92 S. River Street, once the home of Benjamin Reynolds, president of Anthracite Bank until it merged with Miner’s National Bank.
There are others who names you'll recognize. Abram Nesbitt was president of Wilkes-Barre Gas, Wilkes-Barre Electric, Wilkes-Barre Railway and the People’s Telephone Companies. He was the founding director numerous foundations in the Wyoming Valley and donated the land for the Nesbitt Hospital and Nesbitt Park.Andrew Hamilton McClintock had a law office at 34 S. River Street and lived at 44 S. River Street (1852-1919). He was a director and president of the Wyoming National Bank, as well as a director of the Miners’ Saving Bank the Osterhout Free Library; librarian and treasurer of the historical society; and was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution. His house was donated to Wilkes University in 1951.To learn more about the layout of Wilkes University today, head here..
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September 22, 2011, the birthday of Allen Turner, Monica Mika-Machamer, Amy Lee and Sara Stone Butler Baker. It is the wedding anniversary of Teo and Tara Grigas.
All daily content relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go to the September 2011 Flood section or the Features area for flood information.
Google+ is now open to everyone and there is a lot of learning to be done. Google+ users can search for any topic, such as "mountain lion," and find all posts for that search, broken out by "best of" and "most recent." Users can video chat with up to ten users at a time. Users can use their Android phone, as well as do a live-broadcast that an unlimited number of users can watch.
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The official arrival of Fall is tomorrow at 5:05 AM local time, which will bring the magic season of football and falling leaves, clean autumn smells, elections and happy holidays. Yesterday was fair and warm, one of those overcast but otherwise nearly perfect days that remind us of the loss of summer.It won't be long until nature's paint brushes are at work in the hills of Pennsylvania. The evenings now are refreshingly cool, the air conditioners have been removed from the windows, the fish are biting, the tourists are gone. It won't be long until pumpkins are gutted and autopsied for jack-o-lanterns, the grapes are mashed into wine, the leaves of fall begin to drop.Fall is a great time of the year. There will soon be a little "snap" under our feet as nature sheds its ornaments for the coming cold. This is the time of the year when the smells of supper fill the house. A pot of soup brings out the "hungries," and so does a little popcorn dished up with a television program or the morning coffee with bacon and eggs.Fall is when school buses make their way to school and when television is hushed after the evening meal as parents attempt to help their kids with "new math."Fall is a fine time of the year, although I wasn't happy that it was dark at 7:15 last night.This is a fall of strange smells. There is the broccoli growing in Maple Grove with the same smell that caused a "stink" north of the borough last year. Coming from many basements is the unmistakable aroma of mud from the recent flooding, and from other basements we get a whiff of Clorox which has turned many a pair of blue jeans into strange patterns.My days of standing around on winter days when the air is still and the sky is like a sheet of lead are over. It won't be long until the Kline fall adventure takes us away from the gray season and brings us close to the paper mills of Charleston where the cat-box smell makes us push a little harder on the accelerator. We'll pass close to the Atlantic Ocean and sniff out the smell of rain when the wind comes from the southwest.It is the summer's great last heat,
It is the fall's first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan PiattDidja know that you can neutralize the odor of cooking cabbage, broccoli and other strong-smelling vegetables by adding two or three slices of stale bread to the cooking liquid? Strain off the bread when cooking is completed.This weekend marks a reunion year at Wilkes University. I remember with pleasure going into the grand ballroom of the Hotel Sterling in Wilkes-Barre after walking to the second floor via the marble staircase nearly 50 years ago during graduation week. It was only a decade later that Agnes' did a number on the fine old hotel. Engineers shook their heads this week at what Tropical Storm Lee did to the building as an estimated 50 million gallons of water inundated the structure. Their recommendation: demolish the fragile building quickly.Doug McCracken, a teacher who tries to instill community service attributes in his students, took a crew of hard-working FFA members to the Bloomsburg fair grounds last Wednesday. They didn't go for the hot-sausage sandwiches or the apple dumplings. They went to help those who were impacted by the September 2011 Flood.
Doug is no stranger to this type of activity. He took a group of kids to Berwick this summer to work on a Habitat for Humanity House. On Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday Doug and Deb Ross took a crew to Bloomsburg homes and logged in more than 240 hours of service. Three days were spent mudding out basements. Friday in one house, everyone was getting debris out while wading in 6-8" of water. Tuesday, the crew ripped out drywall, ceilings, nails from studs and cleaned debris. Look at the student's working conditions by going here.
Deb Ross emphasized that "Residents in Bloomsburg still need a lot of help!"
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It has been awhile since Buster, the family male Bichon Frize, has written a portion of the Benton News. He was in a "down" mood yesterday, so I cheered him up by allowing him to write a couple of paragraphs. His submission follows:
"I can't figure out what is going on. I am not too interested in food, Leader sometimes says that I am "daffy" because I don't seem to know where I am, I often pretend that I don't listen when Leader tells me something, I need help getting into and out of the car and my legs don't bend like they once did.
"Leader isn't able to explain to me what is going on. He tries to make me think of other things. He rubs the front of my ears after I showed him that I couldn't get my paw into my ear. I give Leader pleasure by rolling onto my back and allowing him to tickle my chest between the front legs. That is so much fun that I bet humans would like that too. When I get too comfortable, Leader likes to make me feel funny by just touching the hair pads between my toes.
"Leader tells people that my whining communicates something of great importance, although he never explains what that is. I know that when I am in the room, everyone gets along better. When things get tense in the house, I make my way to the room where Leader and Mother are and plop down and look up at them with my beautiful eyes and they tell each other what a wonderful dog I am and all is well with the world.
"It is much more enjoyable now that it isn't so hot. We had times this summer when I just wanted to stay inside and if I went out I headed for the cool creek and then the sand piles where I could clearly show other wolves where I had been. I noticed that Leader and horses seemed to sweat a lot, and when it was hot my friend "Cat" licked her fur to cool off, while I just panted. I tried to stay cool their way, but it didn't work for me.
"I have had trouble learning tricks. I am slowly learning the "playing dead" trick and I do talk--or as Leader puts it, I "speak"--but I never mastered catching a ball, or eating food over my dog dish, or wearing a hat in a parade.
"Leader is tough on me when I want something to eat. He won't let me have onions or garlic--something about a sulphur compound. And I love bones, but he won't let me have them if they come from chickens or turkeys or if they are beef or pork bones. Now I ask you! What other kind of bones are there? And he won't let me have meat if it isn't cooked and although I sometimes lick his leg in the summer he says too much salt can kill me and he won't let me have any food with salt on it. For someone who has tasted popcorn, not having salt is tough.
"Leader never understands why I wag my tail. He said I didn't wag my tail until I was a couple of months old. I don't understand wagging the tail. "Cat," who likes to come onto our carport and torment me in the middle of the night when Leader and Mother are asleep, wags its tail when angry. I wag mine when I am trying to understand what Leader is telling me and I don't have a clue. I wag my tail to say "Hello." If Leader looks at me it makes my day, and I not only wag my tail but I wiggle my behind. All he would have to do is look at my eyes and not my tail and he would know what I was trying to say. I stare at him when I want to go out, or when some food needs to go in my dish or I am out of water or I just am slightly hungry and I need a biscuit to tide me over.
"We make a lot of stops at what Leader calls "Countryside Market." He makes me stay in the car, but I really want to go in. He disappears and comes out with some pretty good stuff, but far too little meat and hardly enough biscuits and a lot of stuff like the rabbits eat. It just isn't stuff with me in mind! I am descended from a wolf and I deserve better.
"But I started to tell you that I am slowing down and the thrill now is to see a "mousie," not necessarily to chase it. I need to chew on grass more now than when I was younger. Sliding my rump on the ground gives me more pleasure than it used to. My naps are the highlight of the day. A ride in the car makes me fall asleep. Either early in the morning or the end of the day is my favorite time to take a short walk. Mother says I am 13 now and slowing down is fine. I am too tired to argue with her and I'll take a nap now."
--Buster.
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September 21, 2011, the birthday of Patti Strauch, Jared Dressler, Sandie Floyd, Marion Elizabeth Maopolski, Carol Hess, Claire Metz and Jay Vandergrit. It is the wedding anniversary of Larry and Susan (Fritz) Fausey. Expect mild weather through Saturday, but also expect thundershowers and rain at times.
The Benton Area Schools will begin "Split Sessions" today. The elementary staff will report at 7:30 AM. The elementary school day will be from 8 AM to 10:45 AM. The middle- and high-school staff will report at 11:45 AM for classes from 12:15 to 3 PM. Life skills class will be on the elementary schedule. Alternative education will be on the middle- and high-school schedule.
Didja ever think that without too much trouble
one should be able to find places other than Iraq or Korea to hike?The Benton High School Class of '57 met for lunch at Strevig's Restaurant Tuesday. Pictures of those attending are available here.
The Fishing Creek Players' latest production, a staged reading of "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday," played to a full house in two of the three performances and had an outpouring of gratitude and congratulations from the community for what amounted to near Herculean efforts to put on the production.Because of flood-disaster effects, the original cast and director could not provide a performance so as of Sunday night, September 11, the decision was made to present a staged reading of the script. Royalties and licensing had already been purchased, advertising had been done, donations had been spent, set and lights were in, and the players had made a commitment. A cast was gathered, scripts were copied, group had three rehearsals and the show went on!
TJ Schultz, Ashley Burke, Alexus DegBrina, Ed Smith, Jennifer Welliver, Lucie Barone and Geraldine Laubach stepped in and accepted the roles and not only performed but were valuable technical help as well.
Fishing Creek Players is forever grateful to the community for its support.
• Tonight at 7 at The Center, Carlton (Butch) Young will present a slide show and discussion of his recent extended visit to Ireland. The lecture is free, although donations are accepted. It will be held in the Library. Call The Center at 925-0163 for further information.
• The Red Hats will meet today at 2 PM at the Sub Shop.• A public meeting has been scheduled with FEMA representatives for Thursday, September 22, at 6 PM. The meeting will be held in the library of the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center. The purpose of this meeting is for FEMA representatives to provide basic information to flood victims, and provide clarification of actions to be taken. All local residents are welcome.• Thursday evening, September 22, at 7 PM, there will be a meeting at the North Mountain Fire House to hand out information dealing with FEMA. Sugarloaf Township Supervisors will be in attendance. Friday afternoon at 1 PM, Sugarloaf Township residents can meet with the Department of Environmental Protection representatives at the fire house to get permits to get in Fishing Creek to repair the dikes and clean up the debris. Want more information? Call Edd Sidinger, 925-5203.• Beginning today and running through Saturday, September 27, from 9 AM to 5 PM, the Salvation Army will be set up at Bloomsburg's First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market Street, for flood victims to receive additional support. Vouchers to Salvation Army Thrift Stores, boxes of food and Walmart gift cards will be handed out. Applicants must show FEMA number, SBA packet, photo ID and proof of all members of their household.• Take the time to watch the video on the flood devastation in Bloomsburg. See if you spot Ken Bond in the video.
Doug McCracken, Deb Ross and Megan Huntington have been taking Benton students to Bloomsburg to help out.
• Congress hasn’t approved any budget packages on time since 1994 and this year certainly won't be any different. Expect that Congress will come up with a short-term resolution that funds federal programs at current fiscal-year levels.
• The road to the Sullivan County fairgrounds is open so that the family friendly 44th Flaming Foliage Festival can go on Saturday, October 1, and Sunday, October 2, from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. The fairgrounds are on Route 154 in Forksville. There will be handcrafted creations by area artists and craftsmen, demonstrations, live entertainment and more. The parking and admission are free and the show goes on rain or shine. The festival is sponsored by Craftsmen of the Endless Mountains, a non-profit organization formed in 1963 to promote and protect the arts and crafts and those who work in them. The organization services Bradford, Columbia, Lackawana, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming Counties in PA and the bordering NY counties.
It is customary, I suppose, to give two weeks' notice. After all, the Benton News has been around since August 2002 and less notice than that would be in poor taste.So the announcement that the Benton News will cease publication in its present form on October 1 falls into the category of "in poor taste." Because of health considerations, I no longer have the time to list the upcoming events that are forwarded to me and my incessant rambling about things political and inconsequential will have to end. The Benton News will take on a new name, and I'll occasionally tell stories of the upper Fishing Creek valley and the history of the hard-working people of the valley so that they will be remembered. As I travel around the United States, I'll mention some of the interesting places and people I run into. Details of what the Benton News will be from October 2011 on will be disclosed in forthcoming editions.
Editor Jim Sachetti of the Press Enterprise correctly observed that "a publication such as yours could be maintained only by someone based in Benton." The Center briefly considered taking the publication of the Benton News on as a project, but that endeavor falls outside of its mission.
The area we refer to as the "upper Fishing Creek valley" needs a timely way of conveying information to its residents, but the internet is limited in its audience. Hopefully, the area will continue to be served in some way with up-to-date information.
Videos from the September 2011 Flood in Pennsylvania follow:
Bloomsburg Water over 487, just north of Orangeville National Guard Rescue, Bloomsburg Northeastern Pennsylvaia Bloomsburg Fair Bloomsburg Airport Knoebels Grove Second Knoebels Grove Video .
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Sunday, September 25, and Monday, September 26, 2011,
September 25, 2011, the birthday of Karen Carrathers Whitmoyer and Wayne McMichael III. It is the wedding anniversary of David and Connie Shaffer.September 26, 2011, the birthday of Kurt Hornstra and Ellis Laubach. It is the wedding anniversary of Melody and Scott Masich and Clair and Marlene Harvey. The monthly meeting of the Benton Area School District’s Board of Directors originally scheduled and advertised for September 19 has been rescheduled for tonight at 6:30 in the elementary cafeteria.
Didja ever think that politicians act a little like the husband
who stands at the foot of the bed
and explains how good things are going to be?Quickies...• Patrons at the Sub Shop had a treat Thursday when a bald eagle landed in Fishing Creek in plain view of everyone in the restaurant. Fishing Creek has one less trout today as a result of that landing.
• If you haven't sampled "Fair Food" this year, you can get it starting Wednesday at the Brass Pelican or in Bloomsburg. Go here to see the stands set up along Route 11.• Pictures of flooded areas in Montoursville and Muncy, concentrating on roads and bridges, can be viewed here.
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The gray, overcast days we have been having are enough to send anyone into a depression. Mother always seemed to enjoy days like this. It was a time to gossip with her friends.
Okay, okay, most of us think that gossip is some kind of evil thing, an abomination in the eyes of the righteous--a sin in which we all indulge while deeply repenting in private and loudly denying in public.Mother felt that good gossip from the mouths of women handled correctly was a tool for turning public opinion. The "girls" would get together and after they had discussed the ideas they had there was almost no chance that the gossip would end in that room.A simple story would be embellished to make the moral of the story more appealing. A story might start with a person taking a "nip" from a bottle during a hot haying session. The story could then spread that someone else saw the man drunk and came home and beat his wife. The story could spread that the woman sank into a serious mental state and ran "back home" to be with her mother with a divorce being considered. Two months later when the woman came home with a new baby in her arms, the women welcomed her and asked her to join them in the weekly teas where the topic of conversation was--you guessed it--gossip.Mother once told me something to the effect that there are "souls writhing in hell that have been sent there by a gossiper's double-edged tongue." She would then retreat to the telephone where she called her friend Sue so the two could gossip their gossip.Women's gossip back "in the day" centered on the home and almost never on politics. The women could chat about domestic joys and troubles by the hour. The women gossiped because they liked news, and especially local news. Sure, they read the Morning Press, but they turned to gossip for the real news that was never printed and which was only circulated privately. How much did Mrs. Smith's new couch cost? What about the engagement of "so and so?"The secret of gossip was simple. Women knew that friendship and social intimacy were the chief things that kept life worth living. With some women, gossip was simply a pastime and with others it was a deliberate choice. I knew an attorney's wife who loved to gossip in her neighborhood, which was also where her husband practiced law. She would throw out little tidbits of information knowing that bombshells of information would be returned. She was of great assistance to her husband in his work.Didja ever think that it was strange
that only one company makes the game "Monopoly?"The September 2011 Flood took its toll on expected low spots in the borough, but because of the sheer volume of water--some residents reported 15" of rain--flooding happened in places where it wasn't expected. A substantial volume of water followed a natural ground swale on land owned by Brian Campbell north of the borough and followed what appeared to be an old creek bed heading into the Green Acres area of the borough. On its way, the creek stormed through Stoney Acres Nursery, capturing fuel tanks in the process.
In the following picture, the path of the flooding water is visible. Pumpkins, watermelons and cantelope lined the edges of the waterway. This picture is looking toward Benton from the north and was taken close to Fishing Creek. Where the water ran, the ground is now brown. Where the water ended, the vegetation is green.
The following picture looks toward the former Harry Laubach farm in a north-northwest angle. The path of the water is evident and from the matting of vegetation it is apparent that water moved through this area at a rapid speed. The water flowed along irrigation lines on the ground.
By looking carefully at the following picture, you'll see the dike on the left side of the picture is about four feet higher than the opening from the field at the far end of the picture. This opening has been used to access Fishing Creek during the crop-growing season. Water running at the depths it ran during Tropical Depression Lee simply dumped through the opening and headed south following an old creek bed rather than staying in the banks of Fishing Creek. This is not the source of flooding in the area around the elementary school, which penetrated the dike system further downstream from this spot. Flooding in the area around the high school, the park and Market Street primarily came from a break in the dike a hundred feet south of the food-service area in the park.
One of the reasons that water came pouring through the depression in the dike is that the creek was nearly plugged a few hundred feet south of the dip in the dike. Here is a view of Fishing Creek while shows the build-up of debris in the creek. The creek is very narrow at this point because of the build-up of trees cross-threaded in the creek.
This area remains an accident waiting to happen during a future major storm. Whether it is the Soil Conservation Group or the U. S. Army of Engineers that takes the lead on correcting this problem, something needs to be done. Fishing Creek must be cleaned out. There is talk of building more dikes along the creek, which might protect a stretch of creek but would lead to additional downstream flooding. It is important that DeP understand what their actions to keep machinery out of the creek is costing the local residents.
Herman Wenson, Third Street, a prominent architect who lived in Rahway for many years and the father of Rahway City Councilwoman Jennifer Wenson-Maier, passed away Wednesday in the Columbia Montour Home Hospice at Maria Hall, Danville. He was 88.
Born in Queens, NY, Mr. Wenson lived in Long Island City, NY and Rahway for many years before moving to Benton in 1990. He was self-employed as a professional engineer and registered architect for more than 40 years before retiring in 1990. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Architects. He was a graduate of CCNY.
“Mr. Wenson was a prominent architect who literally changed the face of Rahway and this is a sad loss,” said James J. Devine, a Democratic strategist and author. “His enduring legacy still contributes to the city’s prosperity and well-being through his children, among whom are Councilwoman Jenny Wenson-Maier and the Waiting Room owner Chris Wenson. Our hearts go out to the family.”
“I knew Herman Wenson personally and worked with him as well, so I know he was a true gentleman and professional,” said former Mayor James Kennedy. “His family has been a major part of our community both in government and business. They’ve been an integral part of our development and progress and this is a loss for our entire community.”
Mr. Wenson was a World War II US Army Veteran, serving in Company A 68th Armored Infantry. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart.
His first wife, Mary Wenson, died in 1952. Surviving is his wife of 58 years Jean (Kellner), and children Margaret, Erik, Joseph, Christopher, Jennifer, Robert, Michael, Paul and Marie. He was loved by grandchildren Marc, John, Oliver, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Jessie, Dylan, Stewart, Stephen, Kimberly, Kevin, Kenneth and George.
Services will be held in the Crucifix Chapel of St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia, on Saturday, September 24, at 11 AM. Burial will be private. Visitation was Friday in the Pettit-Davis Funeral Home, 371 West Milton Avenue, Rahway.
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State Game Lands #13 and #57 in Sullivan, Luzerne and Wyoming counties experienced significant damage caused by recent flooding. Road damage to several roads that are normally open to public travel during hunting season have been affected. The Game Commission is working to open as many miles of roads as possible to maximize hunter access in the upcoming season. All roads have been affected to some degree and travel should be taken with caution. The following is a summary of roads that are open, those that will be open but modified, and those that will be closed until further notice. Any projected road openings are subject to change.
State Game Lands #13. Sullivan County. Roads currently open include Masonite, Flynn, Old Berwick Turnpike, Hottenstien, Cherry Ridge and Grassy Hollow to just below Lewis Falls. Newell Road is expected to be open from the parking lot near SR 487 for 2.2 miles to just past Open Run by October 15. Fishing Creek Road is closed until further notice.
State Game Lands #57. Wyoming/Luzerne Counties. Mountain Spring Road is open for 4.3 miles from SR 487 to the intersection with Railroad Grade Road. Railroad Grade Road is expected to be open for 4.5 miles from the intersection of Mountain Spring Road to Beth Run by October 15. There is no access to Railroad Grade Road from Noxen. Cider Run Road is closed until further notice.
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Picture courtesy of William M. Williams, Pennsylvania Game Commission Land Management Officer Fishing Creek Road, just outside of Elk Grove, a popular road with hunters. Road should extend to where pipe outlet is on forefront of picture. This is about four miles from the gate near Laurel Run. There are smaller washouts between the gate and this spot that are treacherous and need to be repaired before the road can be open. There is major damage near Slip Run. Roads may be opened prior to projected dates if conditions permit. |
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September 23 and September 24, 2011. The weather through Monday is summed up as soggy.
Health...
• On Saturday, September 24 from 10 AM to 4 PM, The Center will hold a free tetanus shot clinic provided by Agape. The clinic is for all residents in Columbia County who have been affected by the flood and have a FEMA number. To receive your free shot, bring your FEMA number and a form of identification. If you do not have a FEMA number for this shot clinic, there will be additional opportunities to obtain one; there will also be other clinics in the near future. If you have not received a tetanus shot within the last five years, you are eligible to receive one. If you have received a tetanus injection within that time period, another one is not necessary now. There are a limited number of units, so shots will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information please call The Center at 925-0163.
• Columbia Montour Home Health and Hospice is hosting a flu-vaccine clinic on Wednesday, October 5, and Thursday, October 13, from 8 AM to noon at the Outpatient Laboratory Services building, Route 487, Benton. The clinic is open to everyone 18 years and older who would like the vaccine. The vaccine is covered by insurance plans Medicare Part B, GHP, and GHP Gold. Payment options for all others will be $28 cash. Call 784-1723 to make an appointment or for flu-shot clinic information.
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PPL environmental preserves along the Susquehanna River are cleaning up and making repairs. The Riverlands recreation area and wetlands will remain closed until further notice until electricity and water are restored. Park facilities will be reopened when conditions are safe for the public. The Susquehanna Energy Information Center remains opened during weekdays and for scheduled programs, including one on Sunday, September 25, on the "Marvelous Wild Mushrooms of PA." The presentation is from 1:30 to 3:30 PM and will be given by Bill Russell. Mushrooms seem to pop up overnight in gardens, fields and forests. Some are colorful, others drab. They grow in a variety of fantastic shapes and can be difficult to identify. Bill Russell, author of “Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic,” will help unravel the often confusing world of mushroom identification. The program will begin indoors with a slide show on wild mushrooms of Pennsylvania, then the group will head outside to look for and identify mushrooms!
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The Williams Companies, Inc., an integrated natural-gas company that produces, gathers, processes and transports natural gas, must like other companies comply with SEC regulations to file a quarterly report in Form 10-Q format to give investors the status of how its business is doing after three months of operation. These reports compare the last quarter of a company to the current quarter and last years quarter to this years quarter. The Williams current 10-Q submission is available to read here. The Williams' admissions in this submission are interesting.
The report indicates that the company "incurred approximately $8 million of exploratory drilling costs in connection with a well in the Marcellus Shale area of Columbia County, Pennsylvania." The location of the well is not identified, but it is most certainly the Martin Well, adjacent to St. Gabriels Church off Route 487.
The drilling during 2010 and 2011 produced "initial results" that were "inconclusive." Williams continues to repeat the party line that it continues "to assess the reserves and the economic and operating viability of this well. If upon completion of additional testing, we determine that economic reserves are not present, these capitalized costs will be expensed as exploratory dry-hole costs."
The company continues, "If such determination were made, we would assess the impact of that decision on our ability to recover the remaining lease acquisition costs associated with this acreage in Columbia County. Such assessment would include our plans to continue drilling in this area. If a determination is made to not continue development in the approximately 7,900 acres associated with this area, we could incur a potential impairment of these costs of up to $40 million."
Williams announced earlier in September that it may delay the spinoff of its exploration and production business until market conditions are more suitable. The spinoff had been targeted to complete before the end of September with the spin off the remaining interest to Williams shareholders next year. Williams confirmed that it intends to separate the exploration and production business.
Williams continues full speed ahead on its core-pipeline business. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the company reiterated its $5.6 billion, all-cash bid to take over rival pipeline company Southern Union Co.
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Sotheby’s once called attorney George Catlin, a Wilkes-Barre boy, "the most significant pictorial historian of the American West.” Catlin was a son of one of the first attorneys admitted to practice in Luzerne County. His mother was a little girl during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming and was captured by the Indians. George Catlin's paintings show a definite interest in Native Americans and that is what made him famous. Wilkes' Catlin Hall is at 92 S. River Street, once the home of Benjamin Reynolds, president of Anthracite Bank until it merged with Miner’s National Bank.
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September 22, 2011, the birthday of Allen Turner, Monica Mika-Machamer, Amy Lee and Sara Stone Butler Baker. It is the wedding anniversary of Teo and Tara Grigas.
All daily content relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go to the September 2011 Flood section or the Features area for flood information.
Google+ is now open to everyone and there is a lot of learning to be done. Google+ users can search for any topic, such as "mountain lion," and find all posts for that search, broken out by "best of" and "most recent." Users can video chat with up to ten users at a time. Users can use their Android phone, as well as do a live-broadcast that an unlimited number of users can watch.
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It is the fall's first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
Doug McCracken, a teacher who tries to instill community service attributes in his students, took a crew of hard-working FFA members to the Bloomsburg fair grounds last Wednesday. They didn't go for the hot-sausage sandwiches or the apple dumplings. They went to help those who were impacted by the September 2011 Flood.
Doug is no stranger to this type of activity. He took a group of kids to Berwick this summer to work on a Habitat for Humanity House. On Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday Doug and Deb Ross took a crew to Bloomsburg homes and logged in more than 240 hours of service. Three days were spent mudding out basements. Friday in one house, everyone was getting debris out while wading in 6-8" of water. Tuesday, the crew ripped out drywall, ceilings, nails from studs and cleaned debris. Look at the student's working conditions by going here.
Deb Ross emphasized that "Residents in Bloomsburg still need a lot of help!"
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It has been awhile since Buster, the family male Bichon Frize, has written a portion of the Benton News. He was in a "down" mood yesterday, so I cheered him up by allowing him to write a couple of paragraphs. His submission follows:
"I can't figure out what is going on. I am not too interested in food, Leader sometimes says that I am "daffy" because I don't seem to know where I am, I often pretend that I don't listen when Leader tells me something, I need help getting into and out of the car and my legs don't bend like they once did.
"Leader isn't able to explain to me what is going on. He tries to make me think of other things. He rubs the front of my ears after I showed him that I couldn't get my paw into my ear. I give Leader pleasure by rolling onto my back and allowing him to tickle my chest between the front legs. That is so much fun that I bet humans would like that too. When I get too comfortable, Leader likes to make me feel funny by just touching the hair pads between my toes.
"Leader tells people that my whining communicates something of great importance, although he never explains what that is. I know that when I am in the room, everyone gets along better. When things get tense in the house, I make my way to the room where Leader and Mother are and plop down and look up at them with my beautiful eyes and they tell each other what a wonderful dog I am and all is well with the world.
"It is much more enjoyable now that it isn't so hot. We had times this summer when I just wanted to stay inside and if I went out I headed for the cool creek and then the sand piles where I could clearly show other wolves where I had been. I noticed that Leader and horses seemed to sweat a lot, and when it was hot my friend "Cat" licked her fur to cool off, while I just panted. I tried to stay cool their way, but it didn't work for me.
"I have had trouble learning tricks. I am slowly learning the "playing dead" trick and I do talk--or as Leader puts it, I "speak"--but I never mastered catching a ball, or eating food over my dog dish or wearing a hat in a parade.
"Leader is tough on me when I want something to eat. He won't let me have onions or garlic--something about a sulphur compound. And I love bones, but he won't let me have them if they come from chickens or turkeys or if they are beef or pork bones. Now I ask you! What other kind of bones are there? And he won't let me have meat if it isn't cooked and although I sometimes lick his leg in the summer he says too much salt can kill me and he won't let me have any food with salt on it. For someone who has tasted popcorn, not having salt is tough.
"Leader never understands why I wag my tail. He said I didn't wag my tail until I was a couple of months old. I don't understand wagging the tail. "Cat," who likes to come onto our carport and torment me in the middle of the night when Leader and Mother are asleep, wags its tail when angry. I wag mine when I am trying to understand what Leader is telling me and I don't have a clue. I wag my tail to say "Hello." If Leader looks at me it makes my day, and I not only wag my tail but I wiggle my behind. All he would have to do is look at my eyes and not my tail and he would know what I was trying to say. I stare at him when I want to go out, or when some food needs to go in my dish or I am out of water or I just am slightly hungry and I need a biscuit to tide me over.
"We make a lot of stops at what Leader calls "Countryside Market." He makes me stay in the car, but I really want to go in. He disappears and comes out with some pretty good stuff, but far too little meat and hardly enough biscuits and a lot of stuff like the rabbits eat. It just isn't stuff with me in mind! I am descended from a wolf and I deserve better.
"But I started to tell you that I am slowing down and the thrill now is to see a "mousie," not necessarily to chase it. I need to chew on grass more now than when I was younger. Sliding my rump on the ground gives me more pleasure than it used to. My naps are the highlight of the day. A ride in the car makes me fall asleep. Either early in the morning or the end of the day is my favorite time to take a short walk. Mother says I am 13 now and slowing down is fine. I am too tired to argue with her and I'll take a nap now."
--Buster
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September 21, 2011, the birthday of Patti Strauch, Jared Dressler, Sandie Floyd, Marion Elizabeth Maopolski, Carol Hess, Claire Metz and Jay Vandergrit. It is the wedding anniversary of Larry and Susan (Fritz) Fausey. Expect mild weather through Saturday, but also expect thundershowers and rain at times.
The Benton Area Schools will begin "Split Sessions" today. The elementary staff will report at 7:30 AM. The elementary school day will be from 8 AM to 10:45 AM. The middle- and high-school staff will report at 11:45 AM for classes from 12:15 to 3 PM. Life skills class will be on the elementary schedule. Alternative education will be on the middle- and high-school schedule.
one should be able to find places other than Iraq or Korea to hike?
Because of flood-disaster effects, the original cast and director could not provide a performance so as of Sunday night, September 11, the decision was made to present a staged reading of the script. Royalties and licensing had already been purchased, advertising had been done, donations had been spent, set and lights were in, and the players had made a commitment. A cast was gathered, scripts were copied, group had three rehearsals and the show went on!
TJ Schultz, Ashley Burke, Alexus DegBrina, Ed Smith, Jennifer Welliver, Lucie Barone and Geraldine Laubach stepped in and accepted the roles and not only performed but were valuable technical help as well.
Fishing Creek Players is forever grateful to the community for its support.
• Tonight at 7 at The Center, Carlton (Butch) Young will present a slide show and discussion of his recent extended visit to Ireland. The lecture is free, although donations are accepted. It will be held in the Library. Call The Center at 925-0163 for further information.
• Take the time to watch the video on the flood devastation in Bloomsburg. See if you spot Ken Bond in the video.
• Congress hasn’t approved any budget packages on time since 1994 and this year certainly won't be any different. Expect that Congress will come up with a short-term resolution that funds federal programs at current fiscal-year levels.
• The road to the Sullivan County fairgrounds is open so that the family friendly 44th Flaming Foliage Festival can go on Saturday, October 1, and Sunday, October 2, from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. The fairgrounds are on Route 154 in Forksville. There will be handcrafted creations by area artists and craftsmen, demonstrations, live entertainment and more. The parking and admission are free and the show goes on rain or shine. The festival is sponsored by Craftsmen of the Endless Mountains, a non-profit organization formed in 1963 to promote and protect the arts and crafts and those who work in them. The organization services Bradford, Columbia, Lackawana, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming Counties in PA and the bordering NY counties.
So the announcement that the Benton News will cease publication in its present form on October 1 falls into the category of "in poor taste." Because of health considerations, I no longer have the time to list the upcoming events that are forwarded to me and my incessant rambling about things political and inconsequential will have to end. The Benton News will take on a new name, and I'll occasionally tell stories of the upper Fishing Creek valley and the history of the hard-working people of the valley so that they will be remembered. As I travel around the United States, I'll mention some of the interesting places and people I run into. Details of what the Benton News will be from October 2011 on will be disclosed in forthcoming editions.
Editor Jim Sachetti of the Press Enterprise correctly observed that "a publication such as yours could be maintained only by someone based in Benton." The Center briefly considered taking the publication of the Benton News on as a project, but that endeavor falls outside of its mission.
The area we refer to as the "upper Fishing Creek valley" needs a timely way of conveying information to its residents, but the internet is limited in its audience. Hopefully, the area will continue to be served in some way with up-to-date information.
Videos from the September 2011 Flood in Pennsylvania follow:
| Bloomsburg | |
| Water over 487, just north of Orangeville | |
| National Guard Rescue, Bloomsburg | |
| Northeastern Pennsylvaia | |
| Bloomsburg Fair | |
| Bloomsburg Airport | |
| Knoebels Grove | |
| Second Knoebels Grove Video |
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Monday and Tuesday, September 19 and 20, 2011. A nice day Monday, but thundershowers are possible beginning Monday night extending through Thursday. Saturday’s soup kitchen at The Center had nearly 60 people show up. What was left was taken to AGAPE in Bloomsburg and they were happy to receive it. Thanks to Joe and Lorraine Feola and the women of the Waller Church and to all who contributed food, time or money to make it a community success.
The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that the Sullivan County Fall Festival, scheduled for October 8-9 at the Forksville Fairgrounds, has been cancelled. As a result, the Sullivan County Council on the Arts Fall Art Expo will not take place.
Glory be! Our basement is cleaned out, cleaned up, rinsed out. Thanks to Don Foote and Steve Hess for helping with grunt work and to Laraine Foote for keeping the water flowing. But what is that mess in the back of the house that needs a home? Cleaned up doesn't mean put away...
Didja ever notice that where there is a will there is a relative?
The article on the Richart's Grove one-room school which originally appeared in the September daily pages has been consolidated and moved to a new location in the Features area of the web site. Please go here to read the article in its entirety.
Didja know that Google used 2.3 megawatt-hours of electricity
in 2010--enough to power the city of Salt Lake City for a year?
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Saturday and Sunday, September 17 & 18, 2011. From noon Saturday through Tuesday, we should have nice weather.
The Galley of pictures of the Friday night staged reading presented as a workshop by the Fishing Creek Players of "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday" at The Center are available at https://picasaweb.google.com/bentonnews/Jillian and can be viewed as a slideshow at https://picasaweb.google.com/bentonnews/Jillian#5653129404077794802 .
Performers included TJ Schultz, Ashley Burke, Alexus DegBrina, Ed Smith, Lucy Barone, M.R. Daniels and Jennifer Welliver. The performance will take place again Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. A surprise performer will play the role of Gillian Sunday.
In response to the worst flooding in the area in 100 + years, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. announced it has donated a total of $100,000 to area organizations to help with flood relief efforts locally. The American Red Cross Disaster Relief for local communities, AGAPE and the Salvation Army were the recipients. First Columbia has also initiated special-loan programs to help local flood victims during this crisis. These loan programs are available for homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the recent flooding. All loan programs are subject to credit approval.
All daily content originally posted at this location relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go the September 2011 Flood section of the Features area.
Dumpsters in Benton Borough for borough residents are located at the municipal parking lot, near the old Milco plant and at the firehall. Everyone is overloading the one at the firehall, and the others are not being used.
Didja ever wonder who is logging onto your Wi-Fi home network? A Wi-Fi signal when broadcast is accessible by anyone in range of that signal. I have written a good many Benton News editions while I was traveling across the United States and in order to send the email versions of the report or to upload the internet version, I drove around neighborhoods until I found an unrestricted wireless signal. I quickly stopped and send out the report, then headed back to the motor home to get some sleep. If you look at your laptop, you'll quickly see other Wi-Fi networks belonging to neighbors or coming from McDonalds or Panera Bread or some other business. How do you keep evil doers or a neighbor from accessing your private network?
Select WPA or WPA2 (preferably) when encrypting your router and setting a password. WEP is older and less secure and can be cracked in seconds, regardless of how complex your password is. WPA and WPA2 will make it slightly more difficult for someone to crack. The chances are that they will give up and move on to the next person unless they know that you have something that they really have to have.
Having a family album on a shared network drive could result in someone you don’t know or trust getting access to information about you and your family that you should not share. Have you scanned copies of marriage licenses and birth certificates to your computer? What about Social Security information? Store this information under lock and key and make sure it is encrypted. Consider adding a level of security for a shared drive by requiring a password on the device itself for access. Even if someone has access to your network, they’ll need a login and/or password to access the shared data on each individual system.
Routers are different, but most of them made today keep a detailed list of all the devices that have connected to it during its lifetime. Information is kept in this list, which is usually only accessible by wired connection to the router or a special administrative login to the Wi-Fi. Check this list to see if anything is out of the ordinary.
Make your password complicated so that it includes numbers, letters, upper and lower case, and various other characters. Default passwords are easy to crack; i.e., they are the same for all routers in a specific product line. All Linksys (now Cisco) routers, as an example, have a specific default password setting. Making a password 437main when you live at 437 Main Street is not a safe situation.
The Benton Borough Council met in session Friday evening and voted to get three bids to tear down the Zimmerman property on Fifth Street and then proceed..
Beverly J. (Miller) Stackhouse (August 19, 1923-September 16, 2011), 88, Benton, and formerly of Sugarloaf Township, died Friday at the Bloomsburg Hospital where she had been a patient since Tuesday. Beverly was born in Bloomsburg, a daughter of Lewis and Ruth (Kile) Miller. She attended Benton High School. Beverly assisted her husband with the operation of the family farm and had done domestic work in the local area.
She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church of Central and attended the Benton Christian Church. She was a member of the Grassmere Garden Club, the North Mountain Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary and assisted with the Sugarloaf Fish Dinners for many years.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 year, Charles Thomas "Tom" Stackhouse, on December 31, 2003, and by a half sister, June Neth.
Surviving are her daughter, Linda J. Janney (David), Benton; a granddaughter, Diane (Janney) Crist and her companion, Kevin Harmon, Berwick; a grandson, Dennis L. Janney, Benton; a great grandson, Austin Crist, Berwick and a half brother, Lewis Miller, Jr. (Eloise), Berwick.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11 AM with viewing preceding at the McMichael Funeral Home. Burial will be in the Benton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Benton Christian Church, P. O. Box 264, Benton, PA 17814. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
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September 16, 2011, the birthday of Amber (Loreman) Thompson and Sheila Putnam Derrick. Gail and Jackie Hess celebrate their wedding anniversary. There are seven days until Autumn officially begins and today should be one of the sunny and pleasant ones. Don't miss the play at The Center tonight. The Fishing Creek Players has put together a staged reading of "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday" to be presented at The Center Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, Sunday at 2 PM, free of charge to the public. Take a break from cleanup and attend this sensitive drama dealing with recovery from loss, sure to be an inspiration at this time. Benton Borough Council meets at 7 PM in the library/museum of The Center.
So it was on this day in 1908 when William C. Durant, after consolidating thirteen car companies and ten parts-and-accessories manufacturers, filed in the state of New Jersey to incorporate a company he called General Motors at a cost of $2,000. (Ford bailed out of the agreement because he thought that his Model T was worth more.) Durant continued to have problems with the bankers and had to give up the company in a few years. He then bought a small company called Chevrolet and soon he was back at the helm of General Motors again. Durant wasn't exactly the clean-living corporate type and eventually gambled away over 120 million bucks (equivalent to billions today). When he died in 1947, he was managing a bowling alley in Flint, Michigan.
Quote of the Day:
"Fire somebody. No--fire a lot of people."
--Former Clinton adviser James Carville in advice published by CNN to President Obama. "It's time to show them the exit. Wake up--show us you are doing something," Carville went on to say.
The best birthday celebration I have ever attended took place last night at the O-Live Restaurant on Route 118, Sweet Valley.
The Mill Race Golf Resort has three holes--10, 11 and 12--closed until further notice. The course is running specials for golf of $20 for golf and cart on Monday through Friday and $25 for golf and cart on weekends and holidays. Everyone can play 18 holes by picking up three holes and redoing them. Call 925-2040 to reserve your starting time.
Someone asked about the size of Benton. Heck, our small town is so small it isn't even a town. We once had a boxing match at the Farmer's Picnic and both opponents had to sit in the same corner. We once had an operator who placed all the incoming and outgoing phone calls. She told Mother that a party Mother was calling wasn't home because she couldn't see the car in the driveway. Main Street used to have trees on both sides and in order to paint a white line down the middle of the road, PennDOT had to widen the street. Here is a story to show how small Benton is...
Wednesday eight ladies gathered in the back room at "Becky's" to play bridge. "Becky's" is the way women in town refer to the Sub Shop. Becky had an electrician coming at 2 PM to replace a circuit breaker that met its "Waterloo" during the flood and the restaurant closed for the balance of the day. When two o'clock arrived and the restaurant prepared to close, Becky brought out some pie and told the card group to stay in the restaurant and play as long as they wanted. She told them to simply walk over by the windows where they would have a view of the creek and they would have the whole restaurant to themselves. Zane Unbewust recalls that Becky said "now when you are ready, you all just come out the back door and lock up." The "girls" played until 4:30. Zane asked, "now how many places can you find that?" She paused for a second, then came out with a true small-town remark, "God love her!"
The U.S. Postal Service is considering closing more than half of its 487 mail-processing facilities nationwide. Pennsylvania has mail-processing facilities in Altoona, Erie, Greensburg, Horsham, Lancaster, New Castle, Pittsburgh, Reading, Scranton, Southeastern and Williamsport. It is considering eliminating 35,000 positions and slowing mail delivery service in an effort to return to profitability. The Postal Service said it was studying closing or combining 252 facilities in a bid to save about $3 billion a year. The office at Lightstreet is closed and the post office is "reviewing" the post offices in Cambra, Unityville and Beach Haven. With fewer facilities, first-class delivery would take two to three days, so that mail would no longer necessarily arrive the day after being mailed. The post office is considering delivering mail only five days a week instead of six.
In Palm Beach, Florida, the postal service sold the local post office, which was built around 1935, for $3.7 million. Benton's first postmaster was Daniel Hartman, appointed to the position in April 1835. At that time Benton was a delivery station on a mail route from Fairmount Springs, Luzerne County, to Taneyville, Lycoming County. The route, which covered about forty miles, was walked every day, winter and summer, by James Parks and his son, Oren. The 2,600 sq. ft. Benton post office in its current location was dedicated April 25, 1964.
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September 15, 2011, the birthday of Lisa Ruggles, Candy DeMott Bogert, Steven Roberts and Marcia Kay Kline. It is nice to see Wayne and Lois McMichael moving into the former Matt Raski property on Route 487. The Philadelphia Phillies will be in the postseason playoffs for the fifth straight year. The Phillies have the major league’s best record and won with pitcher Roy Halladay pitching his 20th career shutout.
The headline of the day has to be that The 157th Bloomsburg Fair, scheduled to begin September 24, has been cancelled for 2011, according to a statement posted on the fair's Facebook page. The statement says that the board of directors, after "careful consideration," has decided to cancel the fair. The fairgrounds was hit by extensive flooding of the Susquehanna River last week. Where the Susquehanna crested at 32.75 feet at Bloomsburg, breaking a record set in 1904, officials reported 1,000 buildings with damage and that figure could go higher. Channel-16 videos of the clean-up at the Fair are here.
Linda Moss is one of those people who wants things right! She read yesterday's nonsense about "Pennsylvania German" and responded that the name "Kline is Palatine." Linda says that she gets "agitated when someone say that the old Palatine families are "German." She correctly points out that "Palatines came over between 1750-1800." The Palatines "spoke a Germanic dialect and came from the upper Rhine River down through Amsterdam." She blew my cover when she said that "Though you are not Amish or Mennonite, you are Pennsylvania "Dutch."
The Thrift Shop on Mill Street had minor water damage to carpeting. Nothing that is being sold was directly exposed to water. In order to clear things out of the building so the carpeting can be dried, everything in the shop is available by donation only. Ignore the prices; make a suitable donation and the item will be yours. Please stop by soon.
Julie Beishline had four donkey babies born in the last four weeks. It was quite interesting during the storm trying to keep all the critters high and dry. Last Thursday, about half an hour after the rain stopped, April, one of Julie's donkeys, went into labor. About five minutes after the little jennet was born, the sun peaked out. The little girl was quickly named Sunny Lei (after the storm). Julie welcomes visitors and enjoys sharing her passion for the animal. If anyone wants to visit or is interested in purchasing miniature donkeys, they can call Julie at 854-6715.
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September 14, the 257th day of 2011, with 9 days remaining until the official start of Autumn. It is the birthday of Ken Boonie and Adele Confair. Joseph Robert Sands, 89, and Eleanor Sands, 90, celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary today. Eleanor will be 91 October 3 and Bob 90 February 5, 2012. Louise and Richard Rhoads, Arlington, Virginia, celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary. Expect a rather nice 78° day today.
A reader asked "if the students, whose schools have been closed due to flooding, will have to make up the days missed since the county has been named as a disaster area? There are many schools in the area affected." The answer will come from the school when it is known when school will resume. At the moment, the problem is that there is no electrical power at the high school. The elementary school is in pretty good shape. Electrical crews continue to work "all day, every day."The code requires that school must end by June 30. Any day that can be made up by that time is supposed to be made up.
Christy Tucker is a groomer at her aunt's kennel owned by Anne and David Depoe. Christy went to school at PA Academy of Pet Grooming and completed the Accelerated Professional Pet Grooming Program in February 2008. She has been grooming at the Depoe kennels since graduation. Christy is always looking for new clients and new challenges. She usually grooms in the mornings and some Saturdays. Christy also works at the William Hess farms in the afternoon. Christy's phone number is 925-6640.
The National Guard delivered cleaning supplies to the Borough Tuesday morning. The items can be picked up at The Center. They include mops, brooms, food, toilet paper and
Hungry? The Old Filling Station and the Sub Shop opened for business Tuesday. A floor is being replaced at the Kozy Korner.
All daily content originally posted at this location relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go the September 2011 Flood section of the Features area.
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One of the benefits of pecking out a few lines each day is reading interesting emails on a variety of subjects. During the September 2011 Flood coverage on the Benton News, a large number of new readers found the site while doing a Google search. Many haven't a clue where Benton is and probably don't know why Google directed them to us. One stranger to the site asked if I was Pennsylvania German. I suppose he asked because I talk "Benton," a language not universally shared outside of the upper Fishing Creek valley. I am not Pennsylvania German, but there is a lot of influence here. For example...
Father called pigs "wootzers," loved to eat "Wurst" and always thought that Charlie Hess made the best wurst.
When it was hot, Father liked to gather kids visiting on the farm by issuing orders as a question; i.e., "Kenya come," then he would grab the garden hose and "spritz" the kids to cool them off.
A Dutchman, now deceased, born in "Lankister" County in "Pennsylwania," lived in the village of Central for awhile. We always called him "Egghead," not because he was a geek or a nerd, but because he was an egg ispector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His real name was Don Stricker, but many of us might not remember that after a number of years. He loved to play cards with the boys right after Thanksgiving at the end of "Nowember," especially poker--at least in games where the antie wasn't too high. When I made a bet of a nickel, I often said, "5 Centavos." Egghead liked the sound of that term and he began to use it too, only he always pronounced it "five-cent tacos." When the card game got too intense, when the pot got too "larch," Egghead would sigh and tell the players that now he was in "trupple." If he got too far in the hole, he would glance at his watch and wistfully say, "I don't know where the time went" and go to a different room and watch television--or "tee wee" as he called it. He was a great one to use "up" in a sentence, as in "cleaning up" the dishes or "Let's eat up."
Egghead loved to visit with Buster and Chloe and always told me how the dogs would "wack" their tails when they saw him. It was sometimes possible to get him to talk about what he knew about Cherminy. Remembering his politics, he would not be happy with "Precedent Obama."
Britches took on a meaning other than the standard "you're too big for your britches." Egghead would have meant that after the flood the britches should be inspected to see if it was safe to drive a car over a stream that wasn't safe to "chump" into.
I wish I could tell my parents about the September 2011 Flood and then listen as Father would tell me about the "damitch" he heard his parents tell him about the Kauff flood of 1848--known back them as the "Great Freshet." That flood probably was the all-time record high water for a "crick" in the Fishing Creek valley. Records of the McHenry family show that the flood "followed a cloudburst" and destroyed many "buildings and carried away every bridge on Fishingcreek from North Mountain to Bloomsburg." When you look at the Stillwater covered bridge, it is hard to imagine that it was built only one year after that flood and was used for one full century before it was closed in 1949.
There are many in our area who aren't Pennsylvania German, but talk as though they have some Dutch in them. At least once a week, I hear the word "knowed" used, as in "Didja think you knowed me?" "Doppick" was popular with Mother, a word she used to describe someone with less than the usual amount of "smarts."
Mother, with her pure white complexion, always wore a sun "bunnit" when she was outside. She was great at "bacon" cakes (buckwheat cakes) and frying ponhaws (scrapple) "chust" so long as you didn't hurry her. She usually had milk pie "aftswertz" along with a "pichur" of Golden Guernsey milk. She "fixed" great egg "nootles," as well as turkey and filling (what others call stuffing) and "effry" time she could she made oyster stew and served it with oyster "grackers." She often invited friends to come over for a "little." Both Father and brother Dayne liked the word "hun," and often went out to eat with his "hun."
So "meppy" there is a little Pennsylvania German in me after all...
All daily content originally posted at this location relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go the September 2011 Flood section of the Features area.
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Monday, September 12, 2011. It is the birthday of Lynette Evans and Janis Wagner Dean. It is the wedding anniversary of Allen and Kathleen Harvey and Scott and Courtney Foust. Tonight is the Full Harvest Moon, the moon nearest the autumnal equinox, bright enough for finishing harvest chores.
The Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center wants you to run or walk 3.1 miles, even if it takes you two days to do it. The Center's first 5K Walk/Run begins today and runs to September 19. Anyone interested in the challenge should pick up a registration ticket at the center's front desk for $5. Those completing the 5K get a T-shirt.
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September 11, 2011, Patriot Day, a National Day of Service and Remembrance when the "people of the United States are encouraged to participate in community service, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, to display the flag of the United States at half-staff, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."
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Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10, 2011. Interstate 80 is now open east and west in Columbia County. Thunderstorms are predicted through Monday afternoon. Actually, this is not a bad thing, since there is brown mud just about everywhere. While the local area wrestled with too much water, a rush-hour power blackout in parts of Southern California, Arizona and Mexico Thursday left more than 1 million customers without power and caused widespread traffic jams. San Diego Gas & Electric said all its 1.4 million customers were without power. At PPL's Susquehanna-1 and -2 units in Salem Township, the Susquehanna River is expected to crest at 39 feet above river level. Yesterday, the plant entered its abnormal operating procedure for flooding. Other river locations will experience some rough couple days as flooding begins.
September 9, the birthday of Linda Moss, James G. Hartkorn and Dennis Wolff. It is the wedding anniversary of Ron and Cheryl Kelsey and Christopher and Erin Ackerman. On this day in 1776, the name "United States of America" was adopted in Philadelphia by the Continental Congress for the united colonies. The Badlees, Pennsylvania's favorite rock band, plays tonight at the Luzerne County Fair. If you see a someone wearing jeans and a black t-shirt today, it is honor of Steve Jobs. September 10, the birthday of Gahrad Harvey, Eddie Hagan, Amanda Letteer-Savage and Barbara EdsonAll daily content originally posted at this location relating to the area flooding has been moved to the Features section of the Benton News. Please go the September 2011 Flood section of the Features area. The Thrift Shop operated by the Community Center had a little water on its floor. It will reopen Saturday, but needs several electric fans to borrow to dry out some carpeting. Call Diane Laubach, 925-5199, if you can loan a fan or two.My plan for Saturday was to head to Stonycreek Township in southwestern Pennsylvania that became famous on September 11, 2001, when United Airlines Flight 93 created a 40-foot deep crater. The National Park Service’s Flight 93 National Memorial will be unveiled this weekend during events that are expected to draw 10,000 people. The rain of the past few days has changed my plans for the weekend.The Fishing Creek Watershed Association will meet on Monday, September 12, at 702 Saw Mill Road, Bloomsburg, at 7 PM. The group will "discuss and have a presentation on our history and past accomplishments. We will then discuss our directions for the future."
The Luzerne County Fair opens today and runs through Saturday and Sunday. If you have any questions, please call the fair at 570 675-3247. Alternative parking and transportation have been arranged as follows:• Irem Temple on Country Club Road by Pavilion: Friday from 5 PM to 11:30 PM, Saturday, 1 PM-11:30 PM and Sunday 1 PM-10:30PM• Dallas Shopping Center: Friday, 5 PM-11:30 PM, Saturday-1 PM-11:30 PM, Sunday 1 PM-10:30 PMBecause of the flooding in Bloomsburg and surrounding areas, BTE will postpone this weekend's performances of The Guys. Performances have been rescheduled for September 15 through 18, 2011. If you have purchased tickets already, you may use those tickets for any performance next week. Please contact the BTE Box Office with questions about exchanges. boxoffice@bte.org or 784-8181 or (800) 282-0283.
Although BTE normally does not cancel performances, power outages, disrupted water service, and rising creek and river levels are directly effecting many of its staff, ensemble, neighbors and patrons. Next weekend's performances of The Guys will honor our area's first responders, who are once again proving their commitment, courage and hard work.
Donors have been coming forward with funding for next weekend's performance put on by the Fishingcreek Players. The troop also needs physical help!• Saturday, noon to 4 PM, set up the seating risers and attach safety rails. (Screw guns help a lot; minimal carpentry. Platforms are outside the gym door, legs already attached. We will simply bring them in, put them in place and attach the railings.) Saturday, 10 AM: a couple of people to paint, using rollers. (About an hour's work.)• Sunday, noon to 2 PM, put up a minimal set. (Mostly bodies to hold things in place while we attach them.) Sunday, noon to 4 PM, hang lights and focus. (Get on a ladder, clip on a light, and aim it where told to point it)
Are you interested in the proposed route of the MARC I Huv Line Project? If so, go here.
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Wednesday, September 7, and Thursday, September 8, 2011. The weather in the form of Tropical Storm Lee with the possibility of flooding is the big news for the local area. The storm could stall and move slowly over the state through Thursday night, potentially dumping 3 to 10 inches of rain bringing streams into flood stage Thursday evening into Friday. The Susquehanna River in Harrisburg is forecast by the Patriot News to reach at least 20.5 feet on Friday. Flood stage is 17 feet. Get more weather information here.
Tickets for "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday" are on sale at The Center. Performances are September 16 and 17 at 7 PM and September 18 at 2 PM. Seats are $10 with limited seating.
Initial estimates of damage in Ross Township, Luzerne County, show approximately $300,000 to $500,000 in damage to township roads.
Didja know that at least 25 companies paid more to their CEOs last year than they paid in federal taxes including General Electric, Boeing, Verizon, and eBay? Verizon, for example, gave its CEO an $18 million package while reaping a $705 million tax refund.
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September 6, 2011, the birthday of Kimberly Davis Grose, Stephanie Cragle, Jeanne Karli Dietz, Michele Yalch Minier, Amy Wisniewski, Dayne Sharek, Mike Delp, Teddy McHenry, John Andrysick and Roger Worley. Today is the wedding anniversary of Scott and Pat Wary and Gerald and Barbara McHenry.
• Diane Shellenberger lives on Bethel Hill Road, Sweet Valley, in the former Wiant Museum property formerly owned by Doris & Herbert Harvey. She reports that she got her electric power back on at 6:20 Sunday night. She notes that "It was wonderful to have proper light again, to be able to flush the toilets, take a shower and get back on the computer. Eight days without power. We managed with a generator, buckets of water from the creek for flushing the toilets, spring water from spring on Mossville Road." Gahrad Harvey lost power at 7 AM on Sunday, August 28, and says "Ah, it is so good to have electricity once again. No more buckets of water to pour into the toilet from the brook."
• Tuesday's music comes from Carnegie Hall and a harmonica. Go here to listen.
• Pictures of a structure fire at approximately 8:10 Monday night at 340 Third Street are viewable here. The second floor of the two-unit building owned by Tim and Alicia Seltzer had smoke damage when a grease fire broke out from cooking French fries. The Seltzers lived on the first floor of the building. The second floor was tenant occupied.
In today's edition, we highlight three men you may know...
• Harold Moss.
Harold lives in the woods off Upper Raven Creek Road on Moss Road, next door to his brother David Moss. Harold served in Korea, Vietnam. Okinawa, and after the war was over he went to Japan. He was a tailgunner on a B-25 and was away from Benton from 1943-1990. Harold comes from a family of nine; two brothers, Bob and Ralph, have passed away.
• Bob Burke. 
One of the Benton men who served in World War II was Robert Thomas Burke, S/sgt, Company B, 16th Infantry, now a resident of Center Street. He went overseas in February 1945. In September 1945, he was sent to the Pacific. He also spent about three years in Germany and Vienna as a rifleman. He recalls that Germany was pretty disorganized by the time that he got there. With a shrug of the shoulders, he claims that he "was just an ordinary soldier." This "ordinary soldier" received a Purple Heart! He worked his way "up to Staff Sergeant" by the time he was discharged. At the height of his war years, he was able to send home to his mother and father a $40 monthly allotment on his salary.
• John Paul. 
John is a former radioman on the LCT1269. He participated in the battle of Iwo Jima and according to the World War II locator "offloaded "the bomb" from the cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and transferred it to the LST 1047 to take the first occupation troops into Japan after the cleanup of Okinawa." John was in the third wave with five Marine flame tanks on board. When the flag was being raised on Iwo Jima, John was in the third wave to draw enemy fire. He spent three months on Iwo Jima unloading supplies. He was then transferred to the LST 1047 and took the first occupation forces into Sasebo, Japan. For his wartime service, he received the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two starts, WWII Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal with Clasp (Asia), Philippine Liberation Medal and Combat Action Ribbon. He served the United States from January 1944 through May 1946.
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Tommy Dean Bonham (April 26, 1957-September 4, 2011), Red Rock, died Sunday at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. He was 54. He was born in Bloomsburg, a son of Carol (LeValley) and Jim Bonham, Red Rock. Tommy was a heavy equipment operator for the Linde Corporation and previously for Rosencrans Excavating, G.M. Crawford and Don E. Bower.
Tommy married Becky Gottshall on February 18, 1994. He is survived by his wife and by his mother, as well as his adult children Jamie, Amanda and Damon. His youngest son, Travis Bonham, resides at home. He is also survived by his brother, Duane Bonham. There are eight grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
His funeral service will begin at 2 PM Wednesday, September 7, with visitation preceding, at the McMichael Funeral Home. Interment will be in the Mossville Cemetery. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
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It is the first Monday in September, the fifth day of the ninth month, the 248th day of 2011. It is Labor Day. The American Flag can be flown every day of the year, but there are certain holidays and special occasions that are more patriotic than others--Independence Day and Flag Day, for example--but any holiday that is important to our country can be represented by the flag. Today is one of those days as we honor the American worker. Fly that flag today and on September 11. Jay Yorks had his 60th birthday on September 3. He celebrated without any self-inflicted injuries; i.e., imbedded fish hooks, etc.
It is the birthday of Arnold Kinney, Bill Confair, Pat LaBonte Wary, Kayla Charles (her 21st) and Florence DePoe. It is number 52 for Allen and Shirley Roberts as they celebrate their wedding anniversary.
There is a "Woodpecker Walk" this morning at 10 at Ricketts Glen. Meet at Beach Lot #2 (3-bay parking lot) by the large new information sign. In case of rain, this walk will be rescheduled. At 2 PM, there is a hummingbird habitat walk for youth of all ages at Ricketts Glen. Learn how a tiny hummingbird builds its nest. Build a nest and take it home to help hummingbirds in your neighborhood.
Fishing Creek Players will present Michael Brady's "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday," directed by Kevin Hickman at The Center on September 16 and 17 at 7 PM and September 18 at 2 PM. Tickets are $10 at the door and advance tickets will be on sale at The Center this week. Seating is limited. Call 925-2080 for seating. The Artistic Director of the Fishing Creek Players, M.R. Daniels, attended a recent rehearsal and said, "I saw one of the most amazing scenes we've ever presented with Liane Hayman and Bob Ridall in lead roles. It actually brought tears to my eyes. The staging and acting with these two was spot on, and I know our audience will be moved and impressed." This contemporary drama deals with family, grief, healing and love. This production should not be missed.• The wife of Michael S. Milnarik, Sanae Kanda, has written a lot of audience-friendly music that has never been recorded. Michael and Sanae are currently working on a major recording project that includes a number of world-class musicians including INNOVATA. A great website called "Kickstarter.com" helps artists and others accept donations to help with projects. It's called "gang funding," which simply means that if a lot of people contribute it's easier to reach the financial goal for the project, rather than try to secure funding from one source. The link to the campaign page is here. On the campaign page is a short video that provides details about the project and also examples of her music. Michael has many, many friends and admirers in the local area. Please help this worthy cause. As of 5 PM Sunday, there were only two days remaining to fund the project. Their goal is just about 87% funded. They are very close and your participation could tip the scales.
In those places where trees were blown over on fences and debris was left impaled to the high-tensile wire, don't look for any government emergency funds or personnel to help close the fence so the sheep won't wander about the countryside. For 30 years, Gahrad has been trying without success to get help in preventing Huntington Creek from washing the farm to the Chesapeake Bay. In 2006, the creek took an area the size of First Columbia Bank building on Market Street in that direction. Gahrad said that "Every government yahoo that comes here gives me the same line. They leave and never come back. If someone else comes out, it is never the same person. I guess they must get promoted for doing such a good job?" He added, "water still goes to the ocean with a little of the farm each time it rains enough to make the creek rise."
The Harvey residence, at this writing, remains without electricity--as it has been more than a week. For another view of the ravages of the storm, we turn now to "A Gardener's Elegy," the September article on gardening from Kathy Arcuri.
"Irene blew in and out in a day, but left a summer’s worth of effort and two decades worth of growth eviscerated. You can debate whether Irene was in fact a hurricane or tropical storm as she ravaged the Benton area, whether she spawned tornadoes and why her winds came from the northwest, whether adequate precautions were taken. But there is no denying that this gardener was in shock as she surveyed the skeletal remains of what had been just a day before a thriving vegetable patch, the best ever if a gardener’s memory can be believed; and as the healthiest of evergreens were found sheered or uprooted.
"Following these shocks, after days of cleanup and salvage, with a gradual acceptance that Mother Nature truly is in charge, another loss set this gardener back to grieving. A freezer-full of lovingly tended vegetables, meant to see us through the months ahead without worry about pesticide contamination or wasteful transport--this bounty squished and oozed in sodden freezer bags following a five-day power outage.
"I know many incurred far worse damage--roofs blown off, flooding, even injury and death according to the news reports. And if you were to visit my gardens, you would probably not notice the losses, as a gardener sees things with a different pair of eyes. But the flattened just-ripe sweet corn, the overturned melon trellis, the cucumbers and tomatoes and trombone squash stripped from their moorings, all were a sad reminder of the force of the winds that howled through our farm for ten hours or so. The evergreens we planted many years ago each commemorated an event in our lives--the blue spruce a gift from my father-in-law who is no longer with us, the Fraser fir to welcome our new daughter-in-law and her Fraser family, another fir the backdrop for the albino deer who visited one Christmas Eve.
"A gardener’s challenge in these cases is to find creative ways of viewing the changed situation, perhaps allowing some new plans to evolve, or working with what is left in a transformative manner. So …
"The vegetable garden has been tidied a bit, salvage efforts unearthing a surprising wealth of food still to be sampled and preserved--butternut squash and pumpkins and kale and chard. Perhaps the Brussels sprouts will even repair their tattered leaves. The chickens have enjoyed the torpedoed tomatoes. The Food Bank will get green beans and summer squash and cherry tomatoes that stubbornly clung to the leafless vines. Plus we remind ourselves that we were really getting tired of daily harvesting, that an early frost is something we often celebrate as a reprieve from garden duty.
"The evergreens have already been ground into much-needed mulch for a new garden bed to view from our kitchen window. Indeed, the blue spruce was beginning to encroach on a beautiful pin oak, solving the dilemma of which tree to remove. And Fraser firs we’ve been told actually do not do well in this area, so our arborist has recommended a concolor fir, a tree we find exquisite with its delicate soft blue-gray needles and conical form. A locust that lost major branches will be removed entirely, to feature the white pines that have grown up behind it. A pin oak pruned by the storm looks better, airier, filtering more early morning sunlight into our living-room windows.
"And the sodden freezer vegetables have already refrozen, awaiting their fate. A friend comforted me with the suggestion that they be used in soups and stews, that spoilage is unlikely, just textural changes. So we’ll consider an altered winter menu, maybe even some unusual pesto recipes I’ve been studying, made with asparagus or green beans or squash. It seems mushy vegetables would be just the thing for pesto!
"Yes, we are thinking of installing a generator, as climate change models suggest that more Irenes may visit our hilltop in the future. But the challenge of gardening with Nature is also about embracing such change rather than railing against it, reconfiguring our gardening methods to accommodate more severe weather events, planting in abundance while allowing for loss, trying new hardier species. Most importantly, Irene has reminded me to confront the ebb and flow of the seasons in a garden with a humble appreciation that I am only a steward here, that the master plan is not in my hands, and that bounty and beauty are often found when we relinquish a bit of control."
--Kathy Arcuri
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Don't expect to learn anything in the immediate future from the primary elections in South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire. Perry is a darling in the South and will easily win South Carolina, Romney will take New Hampshire and Bachmann, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, will take the primary in that state. It will be in the aftermath of those primaries, I believe, when Romney gains steam. His chances in the 2012 election would be greatly bolstered if he won in the former Obama states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia. To do that, there is a good chance that he'll throw a curve ball and pick a darling of most Floridians, a newbie to national politics and foreign relations, an up-and-comer with the tea partyers--Senator Marco Rubio from Florida.
The article on the Richart's Grove one-room school which originally appeared here has been consolidated and moved to a new location in the Features area. Please go here to read the article in its entirety.
Go to http://vimeo.com/28524406 and see how many veterans of World War II you can identify. All of the pictures are courtesy of John Paul and are of veterans from Columbia County. This is a prelude to tomorrow's edition about veterans you probably know.
In addition to his mother and his companion, Carrie Eileen Lewis, Benton, Bob is survived by siblings Ronald Janney, Bethlehem; Sandra Rosenberger, Benton; Linda Reily, Allentown; Barry Janney, Benton; Judith Ashelman, Stillwater; David Janney, Benton; and Susan Reabuck, Stillwater. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father and siblings Nancy Fox, Jacob C. Janney, Irene Swartley and Daniel Janney.
A graveside memorial service with military honors will begin at eleven o'clock Saturday morning, September 10, at St. James Cemetery, Stillwater. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the V.A. Medical Center, E. End Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. Services are provided by the McMichael Funeral Home. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Mrs. Hayman was born in Huntington Township, Luzerne County, a daughter of Oliver and Sarah (Cavanee) Cotterman. She was a 1924 graduate of Huntington High School and a 1929 graduate of Bloomsburg Normal School. She was an elementary teacher in the one-room schools of Huntington Township and later taught in Shickshinny and Hunlock Creek, all part of the present Northwest Area School District. She retired in 1972 after 28 years of teaching. She spent her early life in Huntington Township, later lived in Plymouth before moving to Lake Pine Crest in 1971.
Agnes was preceded in death by husbands William K. Bonham on August 9, 1980, and Arthur L. Hayman on October 1, 2004; and a step-daughter, Donna Hayman Fritz, in 2008. Surviving are a son, Kenneth L. Long, (Patricia), Shickshinny; a granddaughter, Jennifer J. Romano (Patrick) , Lake Pine Crest; and stepsons Rev. Arthur Lee Hayman (Joan), Benton, and Rev. Franklin F. Hayman (Karen), Allegheny, New York.
The family will provide flowers. Memorials may be sent to the Town Hill United Methodist Church, 417 Town Hill Road, Shickshinny, PA 18655. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday morning at 11 with friends calling from 10 AM in the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Benton, with her step-son, Rev. Arthur Lee Hayman officiating. Interment in Scott Cemetery, Waterton.
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Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4, 2011. The beloved TasteCreme at the bridge over Fishing Creek closes this weekend. Stop in, grab a shake and say "so-long" for another season. For upcoming events for this Labor Day weekend, please turn to the Upcoming Events page of the Benton News. Lee Remley is much improved, and was released from Geisinger Hospital Friday. Nurse-daughter Amy has PT planned for him all weekend.
Sponsorship packages are available for contributions of $500, $1,000 or $1,500 which include advertising, tickets, public recognition and more. Please contact M.R. Daniels at 925-2080 or mrdan@epix.net for information or your pledge or simply send a check made out to N4C's and your intention to Scott Roper, 189 Swamp Road, Benton, PA 17814.
Don't let our only area community theater die a lingering death!
• The Center will hold an independent 5k Walk/Run on September 12 through September 19, 2011. The walk can be made anytime during that timeframe. You can walk part of the distance one day and complete it two days later. The registration fee is $5. Support The Center by participating in its first independent 5K walk/run! Simply pick up a $5 registration ticket at the front desk of The Center and start walking or running! Your 5K may be completed all at once or broken into segments. Use the gymnasium at The Center by making 46.2 laps, do it in your neighborhood, on the treadmill or on the elliptical. When you have completed your walk or run, present your registration ticket at the front desk, and receive your free N4CS t-shirt! Sizes are limited, so be the first to get yours! Stay fit while supporting The Center.
• Rep. Karen Boback (R-Columbia/Luzerne/Wyoming) announced grant funding for local art programs through the Bradford County Regional Arts Council, which administers the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) program in this region. Applicants receiving funding through the PPA program include $1,495 for the OATS Bluegrass Festival and $945 for The Northern Columbia Community and Cultural Center for its Alchemy Dance Company performance.
• President Obama’s uncle was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. You have to feel sorry for the uncle. The only relative he could call for bail money is $14 trillion in debt.
• The Agriculture Department predicts that U.S. net farm income will rise 31% this year on higher prices for corn, cotton, hay, soybeans, wheat and livestock.
• Perhaps the most "native" person in the area is Roy Beishline, Bendertown Road. Roy sleeps every night in the same bed in which he was born 83 years ago.
1. Loyalsock Game Farm: Sunday, September 25, 136 Game Farm Rd., Montoursville. The game farm is five miles north of Montoursville on Route 87. Tour starts at the hatchery.
2. Northcentral Game Farm: Sunday, September 25, 1609 Proctor Rd., Williamsport. The game farm is 23 miles north of Montoursville on Route 87. Tour starts at the office/hatchery of the Proctor (northern) farm.
The article on the Richart's Grove one-room school which originally appeared here has been consolidated and moved to a new location in the Features area. Please go here to read the article in its entirety.
Cora S. (Sharp) Miller (April 20, 1922-September 1, 2011), formerly of Chester Springs, Chester County, died Thursday at her home at 55 Toy Factory Road, Stillwater. She was 89. She was born in West Chester, a daughter of Harry and Florence Mae (Wertz) Sharp. She graduated from Coatesville High School and the Coatesville Hospital School of Nursing where she earned her R.N. degree. She also received her Public Health Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She had been employed as a registered nurse with the Northern Chester County Visiting Nurses Association. She was a school nurse for the Downingtown Area School District for ten years. During World War II, she was a U. S. Army Corps Nurse stationed at Deshon Army Hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania. She was a member of St. John's United Church of Christ, Phoenixville.
She was preceded in death by a brother, John Sharp; and by her husband, Harold E. Miller, on January 7, 2010. Surviving are her children Betty Young (Robert), Downingtown; Joyce Pannella (Michael), Phoenixville; and Joan Miller (Donald Hess), Stillwater, with whom she made her home. There are four grandsons: Keith and Andrew Young and Philip and Matthew Pannella; a brother, Joseph Sharp (Margaret Ann), Glenmoore, PA, and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Sharp, Pottstown.
Services will be held in Downingtown. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460. Arrangements are under the direction of the McMichael Funeral Home. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
She and her husband, Howard, were married for 56 years until his death on September 28, 2010. They raised their family in Millville for 40 years before moving to Benton Township in 2004.
Surviving are eight children: Larry Ross, (Debbie), Anchorage, Alaska; Cheri McLucas, (David), Benton; Pamela Puterbaugh, Palm Coast, Florida; Howard Puterbaugh, Benton; Daniel Puterbaugh (Vanessa), Homer, Alaska; Bonnie Bowlin (David), Benton; Sara Puterbaugh, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Jesse Puterbaugh, Los Angeles, California. There are 16 grandchildren: T.J. Quinn and Nicole Homsey; Aaron & Jonathan McLucas; Jarrett, Austin, Joshua, Rebecca, Sunny Ann, Jennasea Puterbaugh; Megan Tichenor; Zoe Ross; and Krystal Duncan; Dave, Emma and Sam Bowlin. In addition there are seven great-grandchildren: Liliana Quinn, Nicholas and Benjamin Homsey and Ewan, Liam, Kian and Mira McLucas. Faythe is also survived by her cousin, Dorothy Powers, Gwynedd.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Rebecca, on July 16, 1970, and by two brothers: James Ross (Billy) Hackett on November 5, 1981, and Dr. Robert K. Hackett, December 1996.
A public memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 10, at 3 PM at the Mifflinville Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, West Street, Mifflinville. There will be no viewing. Interment will be made at the convenience of the family in Waller Cemetery, Jackson Township. Memorials may be sent to Geisinger Medical Center Homecare, 100 N. Academy Ave., Danville, PA 17822. Arrangements are with the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Benton.
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Thursday and Friday, September 1 & 2, 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was created in 1896. Since that time, the Dow has lost an average of 1.07% during September. The average gain for all other months is 0.71%. That spread of 1.78 percentage points is statistically significant as we look forward to the coming days in September. Please keep E. Lee Remley in your prayers. Lee is a patient in the Geisinger Hospital. No rain is expected before Sunday.
September 2, the birthday of Brian Wenner, Debra Pennington, Diane Raski, Brett Becker, Cindy Raski Fuller and Miles Cole. It is the wedding anniversary of Alaska-bound Ed and Mary Ann Baker. The Lost Colony of Ricketts Glen is a nature walk at 2:30 PM today at Ricketts Glen. Venture “off the beaten path” to follow the story of the beaver, nature’s most industrious animal, and to check out its "lost colony." Meet at the Beach Lot 2 parking area. Also tonight at 7:30 at Ricketts Glen, join in for baby black-bear adventures. Take time to check out just how black bear cubs entertain themselves by sharing a day in their lives! This is a 30 minute Wildlife Foundation movie that will take you along on their woodland adventures. In the Visitor’s Center.
Kathy and Kay Hummel have a long history of being on the giving end. They often pooled their money on the weekends so that they could help feed the poor in the Lancaster area on Monday. They somewhat continued that tradition on their August 31 birthday when they threw a wing-ding of a party for themselves and asked that guests bring either a gift card or food items for the Benton Food Bank. They collected $610 in gift cards and 469 food items--all of which will be turned over to the food bank. The turnout came from their church, from the Class of '69 and from friends. The twins thank everyone for their generosity and the people who use the food bank thank these two neat women.
• Stoney Acres Nursery is having a garage sale Friday and on Saturday, September 3. Call 925-6826 for more information. There is a flea market and barn sale Saturday from 8 AM to 3 PM at the old Bub Laubach farm a half mile south of Benton on Route 487. As always there will be lots of stuff to sort through inside and out. It is always a "true picker's paradise." There will be food and drink available along with freshly baked goods.
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• First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. held a ground breaking event on Tuesday, August 30, for its new 2,990 square foot office branch office at 347 Main Street, Catawissa.
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• The 160th Sullivan County Fair is going on through September 5 at the fairgrounds a half mile from the intersection of Routes 87 and 154 in Forksville. Free parking, free outside stage shows, free horse and pony pulling, free tractor pulls, free garden-tractor pulling, free truck pulling and more. Sullivan County Demo Derby will be held Saturday.
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• The annual festival on Saturday and Sunday at Holy Spirit Parish at St. Martha's Church 260 Bonnieville Road, Fairmount Spring, has been cancelled due to a lack of electricity in that area.
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•For the members of the community without electricity, you are welcome--member or non-member--to come to The Center and use showers while power is out. Anyone is welcome at the Community Center.
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For Pennsylvania families worried about losing their home in these tough times, help is available--but you have to act soon. The federal Emergency Homeowners' Loan Program can assist homeowners facing the loss of their homes. Homeowners seeking a loan must apply by September 16 through a Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA)-approved counseling agency. If approved, the program provides loans up to $50,000, or 24 months of continuing assistance, to qualified homeowners who are delinquent on their mortgage payments. You may be eligible if your...
- First mortgage is at least three months delinquent.
- Current income is at least 15% lower than before the onset of a qualified financial hardship (e.g. involuntary unemployment, underemployment or a medical reason).
- Current household income is equal to, or less than, 120% of the area median income
- Prospects are that you will be able to resume repaying the mortgage obligations within two years
- Property is a single-family, owner-occupied residence ranging from one to four units
- Homeowner’s insurance on the property is current
The federal government committed $97 million in assistance to Pennsylvania this year. Funds are still available, but time is running short.
If an Emergency Homeowner's Loan Program could help you, contact a PHFA-approved counseling agency, visit www.phfa.org, or call 800 342-2397 for more information.
John H. Schumacher (November 6, 1950-August 30, 2011), died Tuesday at his Upper Raven Creek Road home. He had been in ill health for the past two years. He was 60. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, a son of Joan E. (Wolf) Schumacher Meyer, Benton, and the late John Schumacher. He proudly served his country in the U. S. Army in the Vietnam War. He was a welder by trade and was last employed by Thomas and Betts, Alabama.
Surviving are his mother and his significant other, Bonnie A. Skalla. There are two children, six grandchildren and brothers and sisters Henry Schumacher, Benton; Charles Schumacher (Cindy), LaPorte; Albert Schumacher (Deborah), Benton; Joan Vashey (Ronald), New Jersey; Kevin Schumacher (Debbie), Benton; Michael Schumacher, Benton; Jody Boyle (Andrew), Benton; Catherine Lewis (John), New Jersey, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father and by his step father, William Meyer.
A visitation will be held Friday from 1 to 3 PM at the McMichael Funeral Home. Military honors will be accorded at 3 PM at the funeral home by a combined veterans group. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
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