Last updated February 9, 2012, 8:07 PM
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A video making its rounds of the internet deals with pollination. It is worth watching.
Eva M. (Mikalonis) Wright (February 17, 1930-February 8, 2012), formerly of the Benton/Stillwater area, died Wednesday afternoon, at the Berwick Hospital Center Emergency Room after being stricken ill at her home in Berwick. She was 81. She was born on Long Island, New York, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Sibulski) Mkalonis. Mrs. Wright had worked for the former Dol-Ang Manufacturing Company, Benton, for Boston Farms and had driven school bus on Long Island.
Frank W. Holdren, II (March 14, 1964-February 4, 2012), died Saturday at his 370 Park Street home in Benton after an illness of two years. He was 48. Frank was born in Boonton, New Jersey. He was the son of Diane (Decker) Koons, with whom he resided and Murray F. Holdren, Bloomsburg. Frank lived in Benton for the past five years. He previously lived in Millville. He was a 1981 graduate of Northern Adirondack Central High School, Ellenburg Depot, New York. Frank was a printer by profession and last owned Precision Printers, Millville.
His wife, the former Carol Ann Gould, preceded him in death on June 7, 2009; a brother, James Wesner, died in 2007, and his step-father, Ernest B. Koons, died November 19, 2007.
He is survived by his parents, his step-mother, Priscilla Dunn, Bloomsburg; sister, Carol Holdren-Cox, Benton; brothers George Holdren (Shelby), Benton, and David Wesner, Revere; step-daughters Laura Jean Hess (Christopher R.), Sweet Valley, and Christy Renee Richart, Benton; step grandson, Christopher Donald Hess, Sweet Valley; step-sisters Carolyn Levy (Charles), Mountaintop, and Stephanie Haney, Bloomsburg; and step-brothers Jay Koons (Christine), Nanticoke, and Michael Koons (Margaret), Williamstown.
Memorial services will be held on Wednesday at 7 PM in the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Benton. You may remember Frank with a memorial gift to Geisinger Home Care, 100 N. Academy Ave., Danville, PA 17822.
Please keep David Laubach in your prayers. David spent the last two weeks in the hospital with cellulitis and two swollen legs. Dayne Sharek, a member of the Class of '57, needs your prayers. Dayne has a cancerous tumor on his lower right lung the size of a "good size grapefruit." He meets with a lung surgeon next week.
There is news from the Sunshine State today. First the bad news. The Treasure Coast of Florida--the counties of Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin--are experiencing a citrus disease that is killing thousands of acres of citrus groves by making fruit small and misshapen. Leaves of trees are turning splotchy and yellow. There is no known cure at this time. The cause of the bacterial disease originated in China via an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. Officials of the state of Florida estimate more than 6,500 jobs have been lost in the state's citrus industry with more than $3.5 billion in lost revenue.
The black artists lived in Fort Pierce, about 105 miles north of Miami, on the west side of U.S. 1 in what was called Blacktown They picked up building materials such as Upson board and used it for canvasses and framed their pictures with crown molding. Because of the Jim Crow laws, art galleries would not have anything to do with the artists. The artists packed their brushes and paints in the trunk of their bedraggled old cars, then huckstered their paintings door to door, town to town, much as others peddled their avocados, citrus and vegetables. From the 1950s to the 1980s, they eked out a living by selling their art from the sides of roads. Eventually this practice became the basis for the unofficial name "Florida Highwaymen." The Highwaymen knew how to produce their paintings and sell their artwork outside of art galleries and exhibitions. Most of the artists are now in their sixties and seventies. Their story is one of perseverance, inspiration and creativity.
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While some blacks in other parts of Florida were whooping it up for civil rights, these artists saw palm trees along a bay of water as a thing of beauty, captured the soul of a sunset, emphasized the beauty of nature and used whatever they had at their finger tips as the backdrop for their painting. A Highwaymen painting of a Royal Poinciana Tree |
These men trusted Albert Ernest "Bean" Backus, a white Florida landscape artist, who acted as their mentor. Although Backus had a considerable influence on the painters, their bold colors, broad brush strokes, loose composition and minimal detail speaks for itself. Visit the Backus Museum and Art Gallery in Ft. Pierce.
For further reading, pick up The Journey of the Highwaymen by Catherine Enns. The book includes about 200 full-color plates by Backus and the Highwaymen. Take the time to watch the following video on the history of the Highwayman.
The Enns book tells of the murder of Alfred Hair, whose fast painting style became the defining characteristic of Highwaymen art. The book ends with the paintings created by the Highwayman being recognized as an original American art form. Alfred "Freddie" Hair, was born in Fort Pierce May 20, 1941. He became the organizing force behind the Highwaymen and formed what today might almost be called a production line to turn out his paintings. He charged from $25 to $35 for a large framed painting and he turned out as many as 40 a day. Hair was killed in 1970 at the age of twenty-nine in a barroom brawl. There are differing accounts of the reason for his death, ranging from a shooting meant for someone else, to a love triangle. The shooter was convicted of second-degree murder for the crime. Here is more about Alfred Hair, as told by his wife.
Ah, the foods of Pennsylvania! Foodspotting.com has a list of some of Pennsylvania's finest. Take a look here.
Bruce Crawford will celebrate his 94th birthday Sunday, February 5. Bruce is in excellent health. If you can just find a moment to send a card, he will be touched and grateful. His address is Bruce Crawford, PO Box 408, Benton, PA 17814. He would also be happy to get a phone call from you. His number is 570 925-2470. Bruce has the distinction of being the only person ever to have bombed his home town from a military plane. You can read the story by going here.
Oil is now being extracted from shale in the Niobrara Shale of Colorado, the Bakken Shale of North Dakota and the Eagle Ford shale of Texas using fracking techniques much the same as used in the Commonwealth to get to natural gas. Environmental consequences of fracking for oil are so far inconsequential, especially as relates to water pollution, but "Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait!"
The former Columbia County farm boy's mother lived in the Forks area. Zaner was born in Columbia County in 1864. He left for Oberlin, Ohio, to be part of G.W. Michael's Pen Art Hall course in penmanship. He enjoyed the perfect formation of letters so much that he moved to Delaware, Ohio, to teach penmanship in a local college and later moved on to Columbus to teach. The school subsequently closed and Zaner opened his own school under the name Zanerian Art College.
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In 1891 Elmer W. Bloser joined the partnership and the resultant company was known as Zaner-Bloser Company. In 1904, Zaner-Bloser published The Zaner Method of Arm Movement, a simplified style of writing taught to children in elementary schools all over the United States. Zaner-Bloser remains a publisher of reading, writing, spelling and study-skills programs. |
C. P. Zaner's life ended December 1, 1918, when the car that he was riding in on a trip back to Columbus was struck by a train that gave no warning of its approach in the darkness. He was 54 years old and in the height of his career. His death was mourned by penmen throughout the country. The small settlement south of Stillwater in Fishing Creek Township that came along in the late 1800s was named in his honor.
Zaner was sometimes called "the world's best all around penman" and his writing was considered an example of perfection.
and a criterion by which to judge his peculiarities of taste and sentiments.
--Philip Dormer Stanhope
Most of us know little about Zaner today, except that an area by nearly the same name is a "turning-off point" from Route 487 for traffic to Asbury, St. James Church and Bendertown.
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Zaner’s Bridge over Fishing Creek on Zaner’s Bridge Road (State Route 1022) in Fishing Creek Township was updated in August 2004. The 121-foot long truss bridge was opened to traffic in 1947. |
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Here is a rare picture of the original covered bridge that crossed Fishing Creek at Zaners. |
Today's inspirational music comes from Rhema Marvanne (Voraritskul), a Texas gospel singer. She sings the Star Spangled Banner.
If you are concerned about evil doers lurking inside your computer, consider installing Microsoft Security Essentials to guard against viruses and spyware. Not only is it free, but it is easy to install, easy to use and it runs efficiently in the background. You have to be running genuine Windows products from Microsoft in order to use this program. This is probably the best free security program for Windows. Download here.
Eva Mae Marks (October 8, 1930-January 29, 2012), 68 Shelly Circle, Lewisburg, died Sunday at Riverwoods in Lewisburg where she had been a patient for two weeks. She was 81. Eva Mae was born in Fishingcreek Township. She was a daughter of Solomon Frederick and Bertha B. (Musselman) Letteer. She graduated from Benton High School in 1948, then moved to Union County and lived in New Columbia for 47 years, then lived in Lewisburg for six years.
Eva Mae was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Thomas H. Marks, on August 7, 2010. She is survived by a son, Jack F. Marks, Sunbury; a daughter, Jolene L. O'Neil (Curtis W.), Mifflinburg; and five grandchildren. She was the last of her immediate family.
Graveside services will be held on Thursday at 2 PM in the New Columbus Cemetery in Luzerne County. There will be no viewing. Friends and relatives are asked to remember Eva Mae with a memorial contribution to Riverwoods, 3201 River Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
There was an "awesome turnout" for the benefit for Ralph Ford Saturday night, January 28, at The Center and a "very overwhelming amount raised for them," according to organizer Kathy Ball. The dinner raised $5,416.96, not counting what was in the donation jug. Checks continue to arrive from people who were not able to attend. Kathy thanks "everyone for coming out and helping in making this a great spaghetti benefit. Thank you for all the baked goods, raffle baskets and all that was donated." Kathy does these things right--this is her third cancer benefit. Ralph was not able to have his second dose of chemo last week because of low counts, so he was given two pints of blood. Meanwhile, more than 300 attended the ham dinner at the Benton United Methodist Church Saturday night.
Nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Iran Sunday following allegations that the country was trying to develop nuclear weapons. The debate continues as to whether Iran's intentions are peaceful. Read the following article by Barry McCaffrey, USA (Retired four-star General with three Purple Heart medals) for his concerns over Iran.
Single females here in Florida have different ideas about the situation in which they found themselves.
• A single female friend playfully suggests that the Republican ticket should be Gingrich and Donald Trump. Their slogan, she suggests, should be "Between us, we have had six wives." Always the eternal optimist, she says then there would be hope for her to eventually find a man.
• Another single gal says "I think--therefore I'm single."
• The third never married because she says "there was no need." She has three pets at home which serve the needs that a husband would provide. She has a "dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon and a cat that comes home later every night."
• The fourth, a vivacious girl who recently arrived here from Germany, was overheard talking to another German lady about a guy she saw in the mall. The guy, excited about what the girl said, told his buddy that he had just been ranked by the girl as "darn near a ten." When he finally got the nerve to say hello to her in person, he found out that what she was doing was talking in German and she would have spelled the appropriate word "nein" instead of "nine."
Another single woman sniffs out eligible men by getting up close and personal right away. If she smells fabric softener, she moves on. She claims that the major use of fabric softener is for women to mark their territory.
The North Mountain Art League will hold its 20th anniversary exhibition at the Artspace Gallery, 221 Center Street, Bloomsburg, through February 26. Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday noon to 8 PM and Sunday from noon to 5 PM. The North Mountain Art League provides a group which welcomes fledgling members along with accomplished and experienced artists. There will be an artist reception January 21 from 6 to 8 PM.
While you are at the exhibit, drop by Harold Ackerman's booth or visit his works on the internet at www.ackermanphotos.com . Under the auspices of the North Mountain Art League, Harold's photographs have been exhibited more than a dozen times in various venues throughout the region. Harold understates his ability by claiming he has "no professional training in photography, much less art," but he is "encouraged by certain writer-artists, such as Eudora Welty." Harold's education in English and American literature, as well as rhetoric and linguistics, allows Harold to combine his "knowledge of composition in literature to the possibilities of form, color, perspective and texture caught by the camera lens." Harold uses the digital single-lens reflex camera to capture, then the computer to examine, compare, crop and discard. Harold "prefers not to substitute an altered computer file for the original interplay of light and subject saying that the "photographer, like any artist, must not only look, but learn to look."
Harold and his wife, Jane, lived in Jamison City until recently, but now live in rural Berwick. The couple have two grown children and three grandchildren.
I have more interest in eyes this year than I did last, and apparently so do pioneers in that field. Here are three examples:
• A prosthetic retina is in testing to restore partial vision to 20 people who are blind or who have severely impaired vision due to the genetic-eye disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa. A tiny camera is built into a pair of eyeglasses. The image is converted into electrical impulses that are sent to the damaged eye. The patient’s brain assembles the signals into visual images. Second Sight® Medical Products, Inc. claims the glasses are perhaps two years away. Want more information? Google "ArgusTM II Retinal Implant feasibility study."
• The KeraKlear Artificial Cornea, an artificial cornea to treat cornea blindness, is in testing and is about two years down the pike. With ten million patients with corneal blindness, only 1% receive transplants each year. Developed by KeraMed, the synthetic cornea can be implanted in the eye through an incision. The KeraKlear does not require a human-donor cornea for implantation, which is necessary for the Boston Artificial Cornea. The KeraKlear artificial cornea is not cleared for use in the U.S.A. at this time.
• A new drug is in testing and about five years from the commercial market to combat macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people 65 and older. From Lpath, www.lpath.com/ , the treatment neutralizes a substance known to cause abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina.
Didja know that airtime during the Superbowl costs $117,000 a second?
So you thought that you could get through this edition without a pop quiz. Wrong! Every question in this quiz has been covered in one way or another in the Benton News over the last three months, so you should do well. There are only 13 questions. When you are finished with the test, you will be proud of yourself when you see how the rest of the nation made out. Go here for the quiz.
Chuck Chapman's radiation and chemo both start Tuesday, January 31, for seven weeks. Kay and Chuck continue to receive an outpouring of "love, concern, offers of help, and prayers" from many wonderful residents of the upper Fishing Creek valley. People the couple "have known only to wave to for thirty five years, have sent cards, letters, offers of help and love. Chuck has always been a "Git-R-Done" person. If anyone can get the best of cancer, Chuck can.
My vision is slowly improving. My vitreoretinal-recovery doctor in Florida reports that the visual acuity in my left eye is now at 20/120-1, not good enough to catch all my typos, but good enough to peck out an occasional report.
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama inserted a punch line about crying over spilled milk." When I grew up on the farm, spilled milk was no joke, at least it wasn't after I vaulted a "filled-to-the-brim" bucket of Golden Guernsey milk on the way to the milk house. I mostly dozed during the president's teleprompter reading, but did hear the president take credit for getting rid of an unnecessary regulation that affects dairy farmers. Farmers make up about two percent of the population, most of them vote for anyone with more conservative credentials and so even a passing reference to farmers was unexpected.
The video that follows shows control over dogs while running. In most cases, you'll want the dog out in front of you, but in the video the dogs are following a bicycle.
There is an opening on the Benton Borough council for a resident to help guide decision making during the coming years. Council is accepting applications to fill that position. Applicants must have lived in the borough for at least a year. All applications should be submitted to the borough office by February 3.
navigates better than an Italian cruise ship?
JOSEPH VINCENT PATERNO (1926-2012)
In case you wondered why Ed Cole was taking Saturday off from his barber shop, he was recovering from a heart stent inserted Friday, January 20. Although it is doubtful that his doctor would approve, Ed says he will be back at work Monday morning. He promises to "use good judgment" about how many hours he can work each day in the coming weeks. Please keep Joe Paterno in your prayers. Reports are circulating that the former Penn State football coach, who is battling lung cancer and has been hospitalized since January 13, is in serious condition.
Your kids and grandchildren might not remember the Road Runner cartoons that more seasoned citizens will remember. Go to www.wimp.com/looneytoons/ and introduce them to a modern Road Runner cartoon.
Southwest Airlines axed some AirTran destinations as it moved forward with its merger. Included were Harrisburg, Allentown and Sarasota, Florida. The last flights from these and three other cities will be August 12. A number of local residents have enjoyed the two-hour flight from Harrisburg to Orlando. The Harrisburg airport issued an email to patrons which read, "Since the service begin in November 2008, more than 250,000 people have flown between Harrisburg and Orlando at affordable fares. This region has demonstrated that low fare service from Harrisburg will be supported. Fortunately, we have some time before the service ends to reach out to other airlines who might have an interest in serving this route."
- With one finger on the Windows icon (lower left corner on the keyboard) and the other on the letter "D," close everything on your computer monitor.
- Right click on your desktop and select "New Folder."
- Give the folder a name, such as My Control Panel, or some other name you like.
- After the name, add a period and the following string: {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
- Your entry for the name should look like this: My Control Panel.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
- Press the Enter key. Click on the folder and you will have hundreds of options at your fingertips.
Didja ever think that life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we are here we might as well dance?
Tiny instruments--a light pipe, an infusion port, and the vitreous-cutting device--then entered the eye through these incisions. The light pipe is a high-intensity flashlight to illuminate inside of the eye. The infusion port replaced fluid in the eye and kept the correct pressure within the eye. The vitrector is a cutting device, something like a tiny guillotine, with an oscillating microscopic cutter to remove the vitreous gel. An operating microscope and contact lenses gave the surgeon a clear view of the vitreous cavity and retina. The procedure was performed in an operating room under general anesthesia.
It sometimes pays to take a look over our shoulder. The April 4, 2011, edition of Sports Illustrated predicted that the Boston Red Sox would snuff out the San Francisco Giants during the 2011 baseball World Series. Actually, the St. Louis Cardinals won the series, beating the Texas Rangers in 7 games.
A cardiologist recommends that the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards be delayed because of a life-threatening condition to Mr. Edwards. But aren't all husbands who cheat on their wives in a life-threatening situation?
Sheldon L. Smith (September 12, 1930-January 17, 2012), Elmdale Road, Benton, died Tuesday at the Bonham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. He was 81. Sheldon was born in Benton Township. He was a son of Donald H. and Helen A. (Young) Smith. He was a 1948 graduate of Benton High School. He was a dairy farmer until his retirement in 1993. He loved to hunt and fish and especially enjoyed hunting rabbits with the beagle dogs that he raised.
Bob McKelvley, Camp May, New Jersey, formerly assigned to the radar base on Red Rock Mountain reports to us each winter when he spots the first robin. Bob said the first robins returned to Cape May January 14, earlier than in past years.
The Sordoni-Robinson Landowner Group will hold a meeting on Tuesday, January 24, at the Benton high-school auditorium beginning at 7 PM. Jack Sordoni will speak at this meeting. Group leaders will be on site at the high school at 6 PM. All group members and interested landowners/public are welcome to attend this event.
Problems with my eye have put the kibosh on the schedule for our planned trip to Florida. Some readers won't have a clue what the word kibosh means, so I'll 'splain it, along with some other words Father was fond of using.
As I was growing up, Father often put the "kibosh on something." He didn't sit still for taking the car "to town" when I could just as easily walk and "save five gallons of gasoline." Once I suggested going to the beach for a week during the high school summer vacation, and out came the kibosh again. I once asked if I could load a carful of my fellow high-school seniors in the car and drive to Amity Hall for a cup of coffee. Out came that kibosh word again! But was exactly was a kibosh? How would I know a kibosh if a kibosh was actually put on something? Father was also fond of words such as "kerflop" and "kerplunk."
Father would have had trouble with the "letter a with the curly line around it." He would have insisted that it meant “at the price of.” The letter actually comes from Florentine merchants where it represented a unit of weight which was one amphora (the capacity of a standard terracotta jar used to carry grain and/or liquid). The sign was a handwritten letter "A" (for amphora), embellished in the typical Florentine script. In the 1960s, the letter became part of the character sets of ASCII letters on a standard keyboard set and later part of the standard computer character sets. Most simply call it the "at” sign, or more correctly "commercial at," the official name given to it in the international standard character sets.
Father was fond of other words seldom heard today, including "cauldron," which actually is a pot for heating people rather than food.
Father enjoyed having a beer. The word "beer" actually means simply a drink, any drink. The word comes from the Latin biber, from which comes beverage, bibulous and imbibe. Ale and alum referred to something bitter.
English, I think, you all will agree,
Is the queerest language you ever did see.
Our great language has taken many twists and turns to come this far. People without a great deal of education struggled to be understood in the spelling of their own names (my family name began as "Clyn," moved to "Cline" and ended as "Kline"). Words were often invented to express ideas (backwoods, breadstuffs, bottoms, clapboard, corn-shucking, clearing, diggings, dug-out, husking, prairie, prairie dogs and prairie hen, sawyer, salt lick, to name a few) These words were then passed on to the children and eventually become permanent and provincial. The localisms were used by stump-speakers at political meetings, and eventually reached the floor of Congress where they were soon quoted by newspapers and begin to take their place in the colloquial use of the people. Many of the words found a place in dictionaries and become part on our language.
Names popped up during a classical period when words such as Athens, Troy, Palmyra, Utica and Rome emerged. There was a period where Biblical names were popular: Jerusalem, Goshen, Bethpage, Bethlehem and Sharon are examples. There are towns named after countries, such as Mexico, Canton and Cuba. Distinguished men such as Milton, Chesterfield and Marlborough have towns named after them. The name of Pennyan was manufactured by the first settlers, part of whom were from Pennsylvania and the rest from New England, by taking the first syllable from "Pennsylvania," and the last from "Yankee.
The Old West gave us lots of words and terms; i.e., flash in the pan, bark up the wrong tree, pull up stakes, fizzle out, among the missing, tucker out. Along with those from the South, we get words such as awful, powerful, monstrous, dreadful, mighty, almighty and all-fired.
There are other strange examples, including...
Rind: We're talking the watermelon variety. We don't bother rind with its final "d," and do it to other "d's," too. We like to neglect the "d"" in landlady, handsome and grandmother. People brag when they buy a "bran-new" car.
Bless his heart: Often said with a vengeance, frequently used to introduce a cutting remark, as in: "Bless his heart. He is playing with a deck that is missing the queen of spades."
Yous: Somewhat like the Southern "Y'All," means "you-jointly" unlike the you that means thou. An example is "I seen yous," one step down from "I seen you." A variation heard in restaurants is "What can I get yous?"
Pumpkin: We drop the second p from pumpkin and change the m to n.
Fixin' to: Somewhat equivalent to "intending to."
Bimington: a town in New York state, but spelled and properly pronounced "Binghamton."
Hoboken: The area of Benton Borough South of the bridge over Fishing Creek. At one time, the term was so important locally that the Hoboken Huskies Little League Team, Ronald Keller and Whittier Letteer, Managers, accepted players from all over the upper Fishing Creek valley, but were so named because Stoneham Tires, a business in "Hoboken," sponsored the team.
Mountain: Denotes any local mound of ground more than 500 feet high, as in "going over Red Rock mountain to Bimington."
Termaters: What people in England call "tomahto" and what we eat in a tomato and cucumber sandwich.
Father wasn't the only one who had trouble with English. Mary Hartman, Benton Joint Schools former high-school English teacher and the grammarian of hundreds of graduating students, had lots of kids who struggled with localisms. One of the easy rules of English was always hard for me. Take the "I before E" rule, which as Keith and Sheila will point out, really should be an “I before E, except when it isn’t” rule; i.e., "their, seize, weird, height, eight, sufficient, neighbor, weigh and protein and plurals of words that end in -cy (fallacies, vacancies and frequencies).
Our comedy sequence for today
Jacqueline M. "Jackie" (Green) Yost (January 11, 1946-January 14, 2012) died Saturday at her Hamline Church Road home, Stillwater, following a lengthy illness. She was 66. She was born in Harrisburg. Jackie was a daughter of Edgar L. Green, Sr. and Corrine (Leeper) Green. Jackie was last employed by the Little Tiger Teachery, Benton, and previously served as a waitress at the Pine Cone Restaurant, Shickshinny, and had also worked as a nurses aid. She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church, Central.
She and her husband, Ronald S. Yost, would have celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary on February 12. Surviving, in addition to her husband, are her children Troy D. Hess, Raleigh, NC; Rhonda R. Hess (Steven), Benton; Tammy C. Traugh (Daren), Benton; Valerie S. Lancenese (Geoffrey), New Columbus; Laurie L. Poorman, Milton, NH; grandchildren Anthony Cote, Alex Vera, Dayton Hess, Sara Hess and Morgan Lancenese; four great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers Edgar L. Green, Jr., Robert "Bob" Green and Gary Green.
Private services, at the request of the deceased, will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the American Cancer Society, Columbia County Unit, 1420 N. Susquehanna Trail, Selinsgrove, PA 17870. Arrangements are under the direction of the McMichael Funeral Home. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
The Shickshinny post office was damaged and closed during the flooding associated with Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011. Residents of Shickshinny Borough currently have no grocery store, bank or post office in their town. U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, PA-11, has urged the USPS to "act as quickly as possible to conduct an assessment of the damage to the post office and reopen the facility in the very near future.” Barletta wrote, "A post office is often the focal point of small communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s a place where neighbors can get caught up on each other’s lives. It’s a place where news and views are exchanged. It’s also a vital link for the people of Shickshinny."
It was on January 13, 1957, when an inventive son of a bright inventor and a company with a flair for marketing combined to launch a new sport which would keep Americans entertained for decades. The son was Walter Frederick Morrison, whose father perfected sealed-beam headlights. The company was the Wham-O Corporation, which sold slingshots to kids who once made them free in their backyards.
America had come through two back to back wars, and the population was captivated by space, aliens and science--as well as young soldiers returning to the girls they left behind and by girls grateful to see young men again. Morrison, in fact, had just returned from the war where he had been a prisoner in the infamous Stalag 13. The confluence of events resulted in a popularity of drive-in movies and an outpouring of low-class science-fiction movies which served as an excuse to attend drive-in theaters.
Morrison observed that the snack bars at the drive-ins displayed "Flying Saucers" (inverted saucers hung from a string). So he came up with a toy he called the "Pluto Platter" that would fly through the air looking like one of the saucers. When he and Wham-O introduced it January 13, they called it "The Flying Saucer." Morrison received over one million dollars in royalties for his invention which today we know as the Frisbee.
106 - Noah Carl (S) won by FF
113 - Brett Shepard (S) won by FF
120 - Matt Welliver (B) won by dec. 3-2 over Kent Lane (S)
126 - Justin Janovich (S) won by fall 1:12 over Lenny Hazlak (B)
132 - Colt Cotten (B) won by FF
138 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by fall 3:02 over Connor Houseknecht
145 - Brad Miccio (B) won by dec. 7-1 over Thad Burke (S)
152 - Jeric Kasunic (B) won by fall 1:43 over Diego Otero (S) 160 - Matt Zawatski (B) won by fall 0:25 over Jordan Swisher (S) 170 - Marcus Welliver (B) won by fall 3:03 over Dylan Eck (S)
182 - Logan Womelsdorf (B) won by FF
195 - Jake Mankey (B) won by fall 1:28 over Matt Moore (S) 220 - Jake Becker (S) won by fall 2:40 over Blake Bogert (B)
285 - Trent Donlan (S) won by fall 3:32 over Anthony Davis (B)
The Columbia County Traveling Library, a free public library for all residents of Columbia County, needs your help! The CCTL is the only public library in Pennsylvania with the primary purpose of operating a bookmobile. Its bookmobile carries a wide selection of current bestselling books for adults and children, including large print titles, audiobooks on CDs and popular DVDs.
The library has been moved to the Columbia Mall, near Dunham's, but is not open to the public at this time. You may return books or drop off donations of gently-read books to the mall location, but please contact the staff first to be sure someone is there. The books are either added to the collection or used for its book sale. Please call the library at 570 387-8782 to arrange a drop-off or bring them to the bookmobile.
The CCTL has a simple request that requires just a little effort from you. The library has entered a contest sponsored by Citgo in which the library could win $5,000. Winning this contest depends on residents of the county voting for the library as a worthy cause.
The 2012-13 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for completion. The FAFSA determines eligibility for federal grants, the need-based Pennsylvania State Grant, certain scholarships, reduced-cost federal student loans, work-study programs and many school-based student aid programs. Institutions of higher education may have varying financial aid deadlines, so students are encouraged to complete the forms early. The deadline for the Pennsylvania State Grant is May 1, for all applicants submitting a renewal and first-time applicants in degree and transfer programs. There is no cost to submit the application. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) offers free FAFSA completion sessions across the Commonwealth from January through April. The FAFSA form is available at www.FAFSA.ed.gov.
Please keep in your prayers Ralph Ford, Huntington Mills, as he begins chemo at the cancer center, Wilkes-Barre, and Chuck Chapman, beginning treatments for lung cancer at the University of Pennsylvania. With the average cost of regular, unleaded gasoline averaging $3.459 from Harrisburg to Wilkes-Barre, last night's price in Benton of $3.359 almost seemed like a bargain.
It will be a quiet playoff season for Pennsylvanians with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers both out of contention. Pittsburgh went 12-4, but lost 29-23 in overtime January 8 to the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. The dreams of the Super Bowl are still alive in Houston, San Francisco and Denver.
The Mehoopany Wind Farm project in southern Wyoming County will begin humming with wind turbines that British Petroleum will erect there this spring. Thirty-five turbines will be erected in Noxen Township, 33 in Forkston Township, 18 in Eaton Township and two in Mehoopany Township. The turbines should generate about 144 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to power 40,000 homes. The townships are benefiting from permitting fees and installation of energy capacity. Noxen Township will receive $50,000 when the first turbine goes up.
Nathan McKenzie is the featured speaker Monday, January 16, at the Brass Pelican. He will discuss the Pennsylvania rifle. The presentation is free and open to the public and begins about 8 AM with breakfast at the "Pelican," Elk Grove.
Didja know that 40 years ago America was the world's largest creditor?
Forty years later, America is the world's largest borrower.
Didja ever wish that you were 18 again? George Burns did.
A pillar of the business world when I was a pup was Eastman Kodak (EK US). Rochester-based Eastman Kodak has been around since 1894, and was a blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average stock from 1930-2004. The company has been on the annual Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies every year since the rankings started in 1955. The company, for instance, invented the digital camera in 1975 but never managed to capitalize on the technology. But the company hasn't turned a profit since 2007 (although it gained 30% to $.52 on the Russell 2000 Index Wednesday). It is now on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. Kodak is suddenly going the way of companies such as Eastern Airlines, Pan American Airlines, Montgomery Wards and Studebaker and gizzies such as typewriters, slide rules and the hand-crank telephone.
A hundred years ago, Kodak's technology made all other forms of photography obsolete, while today digital photography leaves Kodak in the dust. The company lost 88% of its stock market value in 2011, as digital photography continues to take over photographic film. This evolution takes place in a market economy and consumers actually benefit from it. This is not the process with the government. As important as Eastman Kodak once was, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the post office. It provided communication between people and organizations thousands of miles apart. Technology today has left both the post office and Kodak behind.
There is a difference between the two organizations. The postal service is technically a private business. Its income doesn't cover all its costs--taxpayers must make up the difference. Didja ever think that you don't have the option to have a private company deliver your mail? Doesn't it seem strange that the government makes it illegal for anyone else to put anything into your mail box which you paid for and is on your property? Keep in mind that nothing is forever.
Today's "kickin' and stompin'" music comes from Irish actor and singer Damian Joseph McGinty, Jr., a former member of the group "Celtic Thunder" and a guest-star on the Fox television show "Glee."
The wrestlers of Benton Area Schools defeated Bloomsburg 50-15 January 10 at Benton High School.
106 - No Match
113 - No Match
120 - Cody Burkey (BL) won by FF
126 - Matt Welliver (BE) won by tech fall 26-10 5:59 over Cody Klinger (BL)
132 - Colt Cotten (BE) won by fall 0:35
138 - Brandon Conrad (BL) won by dec. 7-1 over Brandon Lontz (BE)
145 - Travis Corter (BL) won by fall 1:07 over Brad Miccio (BE)
152 - Jeric Kasunic (BE) won by fall 1:49 over David Lunger (BL)
160 - Matt Zawatski (BE) won by fall 0:47 over Nathan Wynnings (BL) 170 - Logan Womelsdorf (BE) won by FF
182 - Marcus Welliver (BE) won by FF
195 - Jake Mankey (BE) won dec. 2-1 over Ryan Longenberger (BL) 220 - Blake Bogart (BE) won by FF
285 - Anthony Davis (BE) won by FF
Benton moves to 3-4 on the season. Benton wrestles at home against Southern Columbia on Thursday, January 12.
Parents' night will be January 17. Alumni night will be January 25.
Benton Wrestling apparel sale is due by January 16. Check out www.bentontigerswrestling.com/apparel.html for more information.
The Route 487 bridge at Lopez, which turned 79 this year, reopened just before Christmas after being washed out in the floods of Irene and Lee in August and September.
Didja notice how differently municipalities deal with common problems? While many cash-deprived communities are downsizing their police departments by hiring private security firms, the Borough of Benton hired a full-time policeman.
The 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibitors. The show runs through January 14 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. Admission is free and parking is $10.
Small communities including Benton survived for the last hundred or more years in part because of improved roads and mass-produced cars. Farmers were able to range out from their farms and trade goods miles from home. Before the arrival of cars, trucks and relatively decent roads, the rural party-line telephone helped greatly in the liberation of small dots on the Pennsylvania maps. Alexander Graham Bell first exhibited his telephone at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, but the invention wasn't taken seriously for years after that. The monopoly of the Bell Telephone Company ended in 1893 and independent companies sprang up.
Our first telephone was a simple machine. It contained no tubes or transistors, no printed circuit boards. A crank jutted out of one side of the wooden housing of the phone. The crank turned a magneto which generated enough electricity to jangle bells on every phone on the line.
Two bells, with a clapper between, were fixed on the front of the wooden box just above the mouthpiece. When someone down the line wound his crank the bells rang so loud and clear that Mother could hear its call out in the henhouse. Each telephone system had a ring of its own. I don't remember what our ring was--maybe a short and a long or maybe three shorts and two longs--but there were enough variations on the line to handle everyone. The phone company even gave out cards with all the call signs of the neighbors and it wasn't long before everyone memorized these rings.
Families were very much aware of calls, and Mother was not adverse to listening in on calls placed to other people. Mother loved to get gossip over the party line, but was as cautious as a CIA agent with a microphone in the olive in her martini with what she said on the phone.
There were times when listening in on the party line was acceptable. People in the upper Fishing Creek valley always are concerned about the well being of neighbors. A phone call in the middle of the night prompted a "listen-in." If someone was sick, Mother would set out to prepare some soup or drop off a couple loaves of homemade bread.
With the arrival of the rural telephone, the emergencies seemed to melt away. No longer was it necessary to take a sick child many miles on a cold winter night to see the doctor. If the doctor was not home or could not see the child, the sick person could stay home until a solution to the problem could be determined.
The key person in all this was "Central," whose ring was "one long." Myrtle Meeker was a key person in the local telephone system. Ella Laubach was also a switchboard operator. If the doctor was not at home, the operator would know where to find him. If you were looking for a friend who did not answer her phone, she could tell you.
I never saw Mrs. Meeker's telephone system, but Jim Laubach recalls that Mrs. Meeker's "central" operation was "in a room back of the house towards Dr. Albertson. The phone system was a wooden console similar in color to old desks. There were a number of cords with plugs on them to connect various party lines." Mrs. Meeker had a day bed in the office where she could sleep if there were any emergencys to be handled at night. The Meeker house was the first house south of the former IGA store on Main Street.
J. Paul Laubach's house phone on Third Street was 30R3, which meant three short rings. The garage was 30R1, which was one short ring. Jim Laubach recalls that "Dad was fortunate since only the house and garage were on our party line.
The calls from our early phones were never long distance. The dry-cell batteries in the wooded telephone case would not carry a signal very far and there was no amplifiers to boost the signal. When the main operator received a call for anyone on the party line, she would send a signal down the line and all the phone would ring at once. Mother's party line consisted of a couple dozen homes connected to the central telephone switching system by a single run of cable. All the phones were connected to each other, as well as to the central switchboard.
Even so, it gave the people in the country a sense of security and fostered neighborliness. I don't exactly remember when our "wooden box telephone" went away and a plastic phone arrived, but I do remember that it took Mother some time to realize that she didn't have to yell into the phone.
Anyone on the party line could answer the phone whenever it rang. I once heard Mother raise the receiver and say (the woman being dialed) was not home, but she would be "back in an hour." On a busy day, the phone seemed to ring constantly. If someone monopolized the phone, nobody else could send or receive calls.
The only way to see if the line was busy was to pick up the phone and listen. I remember Mother once picking up the phone and announcing "You kids get off the phone. I need to call Sue."
For more on the subject of telephones in the local area, go here and read about the early phone service in surrounding communities.
She used to make us cherry pies, and call us on the phone
She would talk to us for hours; now she leaves us all alone.
We miss her homemade biscuits, and I'll make this little bet,
If you want to contact Grandma, you'll have to surf the net."
We have all heard of Jackie Evanko, the singer who stunned the world with her appearances on America’s Got Talent. but few have heard of her uncle, Matt Evanko, who is working on his PhD in musical composition. Here is inspirational music for today as composed by Matt and sung by Jackie. The song is "To Believe."
A four-year old Benton boy was airlifted by Life Flight Friday, January 6, after he was reportedly hit by an automobile on Main Street. No other details were available when this was written.
An earlier Commonwealth period in England occurred when that nation was not ruled by a king following the beheading of Charles I in 1649. After the Monarch Charles I lost his head, so to speak, the Rump Parliament declared England to be a Commonwealth. The Commonwealth remained in place until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, including the Protectorate of 1653 to 1659. The Commonwealth first ruled England and then the whole of Ireland, the colonies and other Crown possessions during the periods from 1649 to 1653 and from 1659 to 1660. English government during 1653 to 1659 was properly called The Protectorate, under the personal rule by Oliver Cromwell and after he died by his son Richard, as Lord Protector. It was still a Commonwealth.
In Australia, the word "commonwealth" takes on a slightly different meaning; i.e., a voluntary association of colonies or nations. In Australia, a collection of former colonies amalgamated into a one nation.
Anyway, our commonwealth is indistinguishable from a state, and we have the advantage of having a very cool history ordinary "states" just can't match.
Prayer is asking for rain. Faith is carrying an umbrella.
Want to try a Bible trivia game? The good thing about it is if you get the answer wrong, nobody knows but you and God! It not only tells you the correct answer, but gives reference where to find it. Great game to keep your biblical knowledge refreshed or for you to learn something new.
Max L. Starr, Derrs, has died, with his family by his side. He was born in Greenwood Township, a son of Thomas L. and Mary Bittner Starr. Max attended Benton Area Schools and lived his entire life in the Millville/Benton area. He worked for Otto Ford Farms and did commercial farming and trucking for local canneries. He owned and operated school buses for the Millville Area School District for several years. Max provided septic tank services and founded Starr Portable Toilets in 1991.
Thomas J. "Tom" Tishler (December 11, 1940-January 5th, 2012) died Thursday at his home on Old Tioga Turnpike, Benton. He had been in ill health for the past six weeks. He was 71.
It was in mid-January 2009 when US Airways flight 1549 was forced to ditch in the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, New York City, with 155 people on board shortly after the plane hit a large flock of birds. The Airbus A320 was expertly piloted by Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger from Danville, California. The flight was from the LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, in Charlotte, North Carolina. All passengers and crew survived. A computer simulation of the events leading up to the crash follows:
We recently asked that you keep Don Martini in your prayers. Don has prostate cancer which has now gone to his brain in the form of ten to twelve cancerous tumors. He was rushed to the hospital December 3 after care givers could not wake him. He appears to have an infection which doctors are treating with general antibiotics. His breathing, heart rate and blood pressure are erratic. Please continue to keep Don in your prayers.
Visitors will be invited to take a self-portrait at the road show in the style of a Civil War-era photograph that can be uploaded and incorporated into a customizable digital scrapbook.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show takes place January 7-14, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, Harrisburg. Admission is free. Parking is $10.
it's difficult to learn it anywhere else?
Ed Hartman was named vice president of council taking over that position from Dan Jankowski. Jan Jankowski was named Pro Tem.
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Dan Patel was named as the new chief of police. Randy Karschner, the former chief of police, will revert to part-time along with Michael Kreisher and Fred Westover. | |
Chief Dan Patel |
The wrestlers of the Benton Area Schools compete January 5 at Sullivan County and January 7 against Central Columbia.
but not with people?
Williams (NYSE: WMB) has separated the company's businesses into two stand-alone, publicly traded corporations. The company's former exploration and production business, WPX Energy, Inc., began trading on the New York Stock Exchange January 3 under the ticker symbol "WPX." Williams, including its assets held through Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ), is now an energy infrastructure company connecting North America's hydrocarbon resource plays to growing markets for natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and olefins. The span of Williams ranges from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian oil sands.
Please keep Chuck Chapman in your prayers.
I am no fan of flying. It started when I drove to the airport and the first sign said "Terminal." I attempted to take out flight insurance and the machine was sold out. The flight was on an Air Force cargo plane from the former Olmstead Air Force Base, Middletown, to Cincinnatti. The seats were very narrow. Turning the other cheek wasn't a virtue--it was a necessity! The flight was truly no-frills.
Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman and Tim Conway will show you what a no-frills airline is like in this film clip...
Here are the wrestling results from the Tuesday, January 3, match at Warrior Run
106 - Eric Hunt (W) won by FF
113 - Tyler Hornberger (W) won by FF
120 - Darrin Heddings (W) won by fall 0:08 over Lenny Hazlak (B)
126 - Jared Watson (W) won by FF
132 - Colt Cotten (B) won by fall 3:17 over Brian LeBarron (W)
138 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by fall 4:54 over Doug McCarty (W)
145 - Brad Hain (W) won by tech fall 15-0 over Brad Miccio (B)
152 - Jeric Kasunic (B) won by fall 3:07 over William Geogre (W) 160 - Matt McAndrew (W) won by dec. 3-1 over Matt Zawatski (B) 170 - Garrett Moser (W) won by fall 3:49 over Marcus Welliver (B)
182 - Daniel Breech (W) won by major dec. 20-7 over Logan Womelsdorf (B)
195 - Jake Mankey (B) won by fall 1:31 over Logan Shady (W) 220 - Matt Kilgus (W) won by fall 2:37 over Blake Bogart (B)
285 - Austin Fiedler (W) won by fall 1:52 over Anthony Davis (B)
Benton Area Schools drops to 1-3 on the season. Benton competes next on Thursday at Sullivan County and then again on Saturday against Central Columbia.
It is 2012 and a new year. May we be blessed in the new year to see lasting peace in the world, peace in our own country and peace within ourselves. Have a joyous and fulfilling new year.
All prior articles are filed in the archives.
Please go to the archives for previous Benton News.The News from Back Home in Benton, PA, is copyright © David R. Kline, 2002–2011. All rights reserved.
The Benton News Blog is copyright © David R. Kline, 2011.
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