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All Upcoming Events are listed here. Pictures from the flash flood of January 25, 2010, are available for viewing here.

Last updated February 7, 2010, 11:20 PM

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

   February 8, the 39th day of the year with 326 days remaining until the end of the year. It is the birthday of Beverly Kingsbury and the first anniversary of Haymart Furniture, Center Street. Larry and Bert Hayman noted that "we are pleased that Benton was more receptive to our type of store than we ever imagined." There will be lots of sunshine Monday, but overnight temperatures will drop to 7°. Libby Lewis will return to the Benton area today following her hospital stay.
 
   February 9, the birthday of Kay Emily Kline and Ashley Lamoreaux.
 
   February 10, the birthday of Cheryl Beishline-Pasukinis and Amanda Becker. There will be kindergarten registration for the Benton Area School District Thursday from 8 AM to 8 PM at the L. R. Appleman elementary school. Call the elementary school office at 925-6971 for phone-in registration. Wednesday will be increasingly windy with snow and a high of 28° and a low of 19°.  

Joe "Brooks" Sutliff has been "steaming" in the Drake Passage for more than 24 hours with winds around 70 knots just off the ship's bow and sea ranging from 20 to 30 feet! The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean. Learn more about the rough waters of this part of the world by going here. At one point Sunday night, there was wave spray in the Observation Lounge on deck 12 forward which is nearly 100 feet (in calm seas) above the ocean water level!

The ship passed the Antarctic Circle while passengers were having dinner in the main dining room Sunday evening! The ship arrives at Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands Monday for the first sight of land (ice) in nearly two days!"  There is an active volcano on the island. The landscape is mostly volcanic slopes, steaming beaches and ash-layered glaciers. The ship will be able to sail directly into the center of a volcano.


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

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

Finals: Benton 43 - Muncy 33

Semi-Finals: Benton, 37-Wyalusing, 36

Quarter finals: Benton, 36-Towanda, 27

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

   • The Valentine’s Dance at The Center takes place on Saturday, February 13, from 7-10 PM. The Silver Foxx DJ will offer a wide variety of music to satisfy all dance tastes. Home-cooked refreshments will be provided. Attire is casual dressy. Price is $3 for members of The Center and $5 for non-members. For further information, call 925-0163.

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

   • Because of the snowy day Saturday, the Orangeville Library has extended its book sale to all library hours for the next two weeks. Hours are Monday through Thursday 2-8 and Saturday 9-1.  These are great books and everything is less than a dollar.  

   • You can make Valentine's Day special by placing an order at Stony Acres Florists for delivery on or before February 12 and receive a free box of chocolates (a $10 value). Roses, carnations, live plants, teddy bears, balloons, candles, gift baskets, fruit baskets and much more are available at Stony Acres Florists, Route 487, Benton. Call 925-6826 to order.

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

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

Let's revisit the recent flash flood in Benton and the surrounding area. January was a cold month until Sunday, the 24th. The weather changed dramatically at that time and it began to rain. Lee Remley recorded 2.75 inches in his backyard rain gauge and outside of the borough amounts to 3.5 inches were recorded. Small streams could not handle the runoff from the accumulated snow and rain and water cascaded over the frozen ground. The small streams flooded the larger streams and as the water flowed down the valley, the situation worsened.
 
A concrete wall, called a "training wall," runs parallel with Park Street east of the Presbyterian Church, downstream of the dam. Severe scouring of the wall took place near the bridge. Mayor Jan Swan described the damage as a "cavern or a cave" that was carved out under the wall. All the rock under the wall, except for the rip-rap at the South end that was put in by Doug Vincent following Hurricane Ivan, was washed away.
 
Half or more of the wall was destroyed. There is nothing supporting the bottom of the wall. The Borough engineer, FEMA and DeP are very concerned about that because that wall is very important for the safety of the church and a number of houses. In one area the water came in and scoured under the road almost five feet and about five feet in depth. The hole expanded north and south inside 6 to 8 feet. It is not something that is easy to see from the road. The morning after the flood, Doug Vincent fixed the hole by packing it with concrete. He also repaired the berm. Other repairs on the wall require permission to fix. Rep. Boback and Columbia County emergency prepardness personnel have inspected the problem. The borough is currently waiting for FEMA to respond in order to determine if Federal help is available.
 
The state must meet a threshold to qualify for federal funding--that amount is in excess of 15 million dollars. There is a threshhold by the county in order to get FEMA help--and that amount is about $200,000.
 
The borough engineer assessed the cost of repairs to the training wall and the park at a million dollars. The park had damage equal to the flood of 2006. The road through the park is down to gravel and sand. The new road at the concert pavilion was undamaged. There was also dike damage in the Township and in Sugarloaf township.
 
It is the first Sunday in February and time to start thinking about edible gardening in tough economic times, and that happens to be the subject of Kathy Arcuri's article for today...

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

   Last year, according to the Garden Writer’s Association, edibles ruled in the home garden. Thirty-eight percent of American households planted vegetables (including one rather prominent D.C. family), reflecting a significant increase for each of the last several years. In fact, during 2008, Burpee’s doubled its vegetable seed sales.  In previous years, gardeners reported growing vegetables “for better tasting food;” but last year, economics drove the uptick, with those surveyed wanting to “supplement the household food supply.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

February 6, 2010, the birthday of Wendy Kriebel and Michael Haydis, plus the "Sultan of Swat," George Herman Ruth, in 1895; Ronald Wilson Reagan, our 40th U.S. President, in 1911; Joan Lucille Olander, in 1931 (known professionally as Mamie Van Doren; television personality Tom Brokaw, in 1940; and attorney Aaron Burr, in 1756. Burr, our third U.S. Vice President killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and was known as a traitor, although he was never convicted. Joseph Priestley, our Northumberland neighbor, died on this date in 1804.

The Orangeville Public Library will host a winter-book sale today from 9 AM to 1 PM, weather permitting. And don't forget the free-will contribution breakfast Sunday morning at the Benton Methodist Church from 8 to 9. Oh, that weather! From 9° to 13° each night through Tuesday.

Libby Lewis, 91, was admitted to the Bloomsburg Hospital Wednesday night with pneumonia. Bob and Betty Lewis got one of those phone calls, "I've fallen down, and I can't get up." Luckily, Libby had no broken bones and she didn't argue about staying in the hospital. She will be in Bloomsburg Hospital until Monday then will have two weeks of physical therapy to get her back on the "road." She has a phone at her bedside in room 324, so she is in touch with the outside world. One nurse said she had been on the phone an hour at a time. Sounds pretty normal for someone as well liked as Libby.
 
Quickies...  
   • The local firemen are working hard in preparation for the gun and outdoor show February 13 and 14 at the Benton fire hall, 150 Colley Street. Guns, knives and other items will be available Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM and Sunday from 9 AM to 3 PM. Proceeds benefit the Benton Fire Company.

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

   • A reader asked about the two-month cruise that Joe "Brooks" Sutliff is taking. Joe was in Punta Arenas, Chile, Friday. The town is at the most southern point in Chile. The cruise passed hundreds of miles of the beautiful Chilean fjords where there were no signs of human life! The cruise has one last stop in South America on an island that belongs to Argentina. The ship will dock in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. It is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and of the Southern Atlantic Islands Province. From Ushuaia, the ships sails for Antarctica. This is the last 700 passenger ship to sail these waters. Future visitors to the waters of the continent will have to come by much smaller "exploration" ships.
 
   • The laptop I use here in Florida has decided to shut down each half hour. I suspect a heat-related problem. But if I can't get to the bottom of the problem, I may have to terminate the Benton News since I will not have a computer. Any reader have a suggestion of how to fix the problem?

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

Members of the Board of Directors are, standing from left, Dr. Michael Marino, Dr. James Joseph, Jan Swan, Virginia Henrie, Atty. Thomas Leipold, and Dr. Patrick Erwin.  Seated from left are Dr. Richard Angelo, chairperson, Lucille Lukas, vice chairperson, George Turner, secretary, and Regis Cabonor, president of Bloomsburg Health System.  Absent from the photo are John Thompson, treasurer, Dr. Fran Welk and Glenn Halterman.

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

The Rev. Howard W. West (February 22, 1925-February 1, 2010), a former resident of Benton when he served the United Methodist Churchs in Benton and Waller from 1977 to 1998, died Monday in Wichita, Kansas, at the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. He was 84.

Rev. West was born in Deerfield, Kansas. He was a son of Franklin G. and Nellie (Barnes) West. He was a graduate of Garden City, Kansas, High School in 1943; Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas, in 1948; and Iliff Seminary, Denver, Colorado, in 1953. He was a pastor in the United Methodist Church in Minneola, Kansas, in 1944, and served churches in Kansas, Colorado and Pennsylvania. He loved to play piano/keyboard, harmonica and guitar. He lived in Wichita from May 2008, and in Caldwell, Kansas, for ten years before that.

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

Funeral services will be Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 2 PM in Trinity United Methodist Church, 306 Lombard Ave., Danville. Interment will be next to his late wife, Sue, in New Rosemont Cemetery, Espy. Friends may call at the church on Thursday from 1-2 PM. Arrangements are by the Kriner Funeral Home, Benton. To sign the guest book or to send a message of condolence, please go to www.krinerfuneralhomes.com.

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

Benton has advanced to the quarterfinal of District IV Duals.  Benton will take on Towanda Saturday morning at 11 at Milton High School.

 

 

Thursday and Friday, February 4-5, 2010.

   February 4, birthday of Bill Fricke, Bonnie Bergeron and Miriam Keller Stauder. We have now passed the astronomical midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The sun streaming through the living-room window gets warmer each day. Benton Borough will test a new emergency weather alert siren today at 2 PM.
   February 5, the birthday of Stephen Whitenight, Walker Rilk, Allison Cross and Dorothy Burlew. Expect snow in the afternoon and into much of Saturday.
 
Quickies...
   • Today's music comes from those who are "born again Americans." Are you an active, involved and thoughtful citizen—a Born Again American? Head here .

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

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

   • Pre-school storytime at The Center is free to members and non-members. For information, call 925-0163. Storytime is each Thursday.

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

   • A reader has experienced problems with a local telephone and internet provider for the past 18 months. During that time, the couple has "not received one correct bill." The matter was not satisfactorily resolved with the company and has now been turned over to the Better Business Bureau and Attorney General/Consumer Affairs to investigate. Digital subscriber lines (which we normally simply refer to simply as DSL) are generally available in areas outside of but close to the borough. The local cable company provides cable-internet connections. Verizon has hooked up one subscriber in the area for testing purposes using their internet system. HughesNet, 1-866 774-6580, provides satisfactory internet service to a number of readers. If you would like to see Verizon internet service extended to our area, call 1-888 438-3467 or 1-800 483-4000 and make a request. I have found Skype phone service, www.skype.com/ , very satisfactory and it is completely free Skype to Skype and pennies from Skype to regular phones. You will need a fast internet connection.

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

   • The 82nd Oscars will be presented March 7 in a ceremony airing on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

    • The popular Benton fire hall gun show will be February 13 and 14. Saturday hours are 9 AM to 4 PM. Sunday hours are 9 AM to 3 PM. Breakfast will be served both days. Soups and sandwiches will be served for lunch. The show will feature 80 tables of merchandise.

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

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

The McHenry House,Stillwater, was at one time owned by the Hon. John G. McHenry and later by John and Naomi McHenry. It is the childhood home of Jules McHenry, Dottie McHenry Rabb and Zane McHenry Unbewust. According to local rumor, blood was once found in a back room of the building and Dottie and Zane both understood that someone had shot themselves in that room. The house was demolished Tuesday and only a bare lot now remains.

The house was on the north side of a field which Llewlellen and Ellen McHenry planted in potatoes each year. This was the money the family used "to go to the Fair with." Seventy years ago, the property consisted of approximately 65 acres.

Zane remembers that she was "about in sixth grade" when she moved into the house and she stayed there after she and John married 69 years ago. Donald Rabb and John Unbewust courted the two girls when they lived in that house. Zane always said that "the boys always ran down (from Benton), but had to walk home."

Jules was very proud of the fact that the tree that was taken down Tuesday was one he used to escape from the house at night. He could crawl out a window and onto a limb, then shimmy down the tree and make his getaway. He was also proud of the fact that he was able to crawl out a second-floor window and crawl completely around the house holding onto second-floor windows.

The house was weathered beyond saving, but the wide plank floors in the house were not rotten even though water penetrated the roof.

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

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

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

Picture courtesy of Sharon Remphrey

 

 

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

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

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

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

Quickies...

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

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

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

   • The German Heritage Society of the Susquehanna Valley will learn about German Americans in the Civil War, as presented by GHSSV member Mikito Muroya at the GHSSV regular monthly meeting on Thursday, February 4, at 7 PM at the Degenstein Library, Sunbury. During the course of the American Civil War, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, both North and South, were either immigrants or the children of recent immigrants. German Americans were the most prominent immigrant group, as there were more Deutschamerikaner than any other immigrant group, including the legendary Irish. It is believed that more than 200,000 German-born soldiers served in the Civil War, including some who fought in German-language units. These countless German Americans who fought and died in the Civil War played a very important role in the Civil War and certainly influenced its outcome.  Members and guests are invited to join us for this free program.  Contact GHSSV President Jeff Sheaffer at 374-7730 for more information.

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

 

 

January 31, 2010. It is the birthday of Bill Fester, Allie Becker, Nancy Smith Shea, Ray Kisbach and Ron Salsman. Low overnight temperatures through mid-week will continue below 20°.

Quickies...
   • The sale of bricks at The Center to commemorate veterans of any branch of service has gone very well, but orders for bricks must be in the mail by Monday, February 1. The stories and photographs of their loved ones can be provided to The Center at a later date.  Questions? Call 925-6972.
 
   • Readers have asked about reoccurring discrepancies in their telephone bills and frequently complain about service. If you have any comments on the subject of local telephone service or of known alternative-telephone service, please email me. Your privacy will be respected.
 
   • Didja know that "Methuselah," an ancient Bristlecone tree living in California's White Mountains, is Earth's oldest living inhabitant? The tree is 46 centuries old. The estimated age of the tree is 4,767 years old, a full millennium older than any other tree. Learn more here.
 
   • Findings from IHS Global Insight's House Prices in America were interesting. You can read the report here. The Treasure Coast of Florida has some of the best housing prices in the nation. Vero Beach ranked second in the nation behind Las Vegas in the percentage that houses are below value. Port Saint Lucie was sixth in the nation.
 
   • Our burst of patriotic music for today is the National Anthem and comes the members of various United States Military Academies. Listen here.
 
   • Upcoming events are always listed at www.bentonnews.net/events1.htm . Bookmark this page so you can participate in all the events of the area.
 

Benton wrestled Southern Columbia Saturday. The match started at 140 pounds. Benton won over Southern Columbia 55 to 24. Results, thanks to Brian Hart, are...

   103 - Matt Welliver (B) won by forfeit   
   112 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by decision 4-1 over Justin Janovich (SC)   
   119 - Colt Cotten (B) won by major decision 14-1 over Brett Duell (SC)
   125 - Michael Rhone (B) won by fall 0:40 over Thad Burke (SC)
   130 - Kyle Doud (B) won by fall 1:46 over Karl Mhyre (SC)
   135 - Coltin Fought (B) won by fall 1:40 over Michael Moore (SC)
   140 - Logen Mensinger (SC) won by fall 1:55 over Derrian Metzinger (B)
   145 - Zach Raup (SC) won by fall 5:30 over Jared Kline (B)
   152 - Devon McMahon (B) won by fall 1:26 over Jamie Slotterback (SC)
   160 - Eric Hess (B) won by fall 0:47 over Dylan Eck (SC)
   171 - Jake Mankey (B) won by forfeit
   189 - Hayden Reed (SC) won by forfeit
   215 - Nick Diak (SC) won by forfeit
   285 - Tyler DeMott (B) won by fall 1:18 over Ian VanWieren (SC)

Benton will compete next in the District IV Duals.

Didja ever wonder how the water battle as part of the Benton Carnival got started? Didja ever know that even the National Geographic Magazine got so caught up in the event that a photo of the battle ran in the magazine? Well, let's get to the point and name some names! In 1953, David Bardo, Roy Colley, David Davenport, David Ward, Brooks Sutliff, Dan Stoneham, Robert Rabb, Linda Dildine, Bobby T. Vincent, Tom, Kay and Mike Knecht, and even some big kids like Jim Dildine and Don Rabb, went to Yost's Restaurant and Vincent's Market, traded in all the soda bottles they could muster up for $.02 each, then went to Buckley's Store and bought balloons. They then positioned themselves on the balcony of the Hotel Moses Van Campen and other stores on Main Street. When fire chief Gene Bardo came by, all hell broke loose! Sitting on his front porch, even Ray Knecht got soaked and got his water hose out to defend his home and honor. Balloons flew everywhere. Firemen threw open the valves and water started spraying the crowd. Everyone had such a great time that more elaborate plans were drawn up for 1954 and a tradition began.

Of the names in the preceding paragraph, Bobby T. is no longer with us, and the rest of the kids have grown up until they are gently nudging the senior circuit. For example, David Ward is 63 and lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has had a long career with Pratt Whitney and is on the verge of receiving his PhD in engineering. Rick Ward, 62, lives in Prescott, Arizona. Donnie Ward, 58, lives in Indiantown, Florida, at the Indiantown marina, owned by David's daughter Rickelle and her husband, Scott Watson.

The Indiantown marina has a hoist- and mast-stepping facility, a 30-ton travel lift, a ramp for small boats, gas and diesel fuel, ice, laundry, showers and heads, a Captain's Lounge, ship's store and a shady picnic area on the canal. The marina is on the St. Lucie Canal, which is the only waterway in Florida that connects the Atlantic Ocean (at Stuart) to the Gulf of Mexico (at Fort Myers) via Lake Okeechobee and the Calloosahatchee River.

Betty Ward Brewington lives by herself in Martin County in a community of 560 mobile homes known as Indian Woods. Her address is 15940 SW Indianwood Circle, Indiantown, Florida 34956. Indiantown, an unincorporated community of about 6,300 people, is surrounded by large citrus groves.  

       

 

 

January 30, 2010. It is the birthday of Dick McMichael, Georgia Bashline and George Holdren and of former vice-president Dick Cheney.

 Former Mainstreeter and former president of Sutliff Chevrolet, Harrisburg, Joe "Brooks" Sutliff and his wife Kathy are on a two-month cruise, but were recently marooned by flood waters in Machu Pichu, Peru, when mudslides took out rail service back to the coast and they had to be brought out by helicopter. They flew yesterday by charter to rejoin their ship in Chili. Brooks said it got a "little dicey" when the helicopter first flew in to shuttle their 82 member group out as the locals swarmed the choppers thinking they were bringing in food.
 
The choppers then had to ferry in the military to restore order and allow their group to board. In Lima Wednesday night with a charter flight scheduled to fly them to Chili Friday, Brooks said this "has been quite an experience. "The only downside," according to brother-in-law Sam Ganshaw, was "that the temporary hotel their guide put them in ran out of rum."
 
Sam Ganshaw had quite a scare Thursday. He received a call from a heavily-accented man identifying himself as being with the cruise line Brooks is on. He asked to speak to Sam's wife, Ann. Sam said that she was at work and that he was her husband. Sam asked what the call was about. The man said that Joseph Sutliff had listed Ann as next of kin. Sam came very close to having a heart attack. The man then got to the point. The cruise line simply wanted to let Ann know that everything was O.K. The rum was not mentioned. Friday night they were back on their ship and sailing out of Valparaiso.

Quickies...
   • The Columbia County PAGenWeb address is now www.pagenweb.org/~columbia/ .

   • The Orangeville Library is having its annual winter book sale on February 6 beginning at 9 and running until 1. The library always has lots of books at great prices. You get lots of books for very little money.

   • The Center will host the Village Sampler and Fun Auction on April 25. Items are needed for the auction. If you have anything that you would like to donate, please drop it off at The Center with your name attached. This is a huge fundraiser for The Center and a great deal of fun for everyone who attends.

   • Marcellus shale drilling could triple in the Commonwealth in 2010. The Department of Environmental Protection will hire 68 new oil and gas staffers this year to handle the workload according to a press release.

   • Have you ever wondered how President Obama would sound with his voice set to music? Head here and find out.

   • The Council of Churches will meet on February 1 at the Benton Methodist Church at 7 PM.

   • Didja notice that more people are saying we look good--for our age.

   • Didja know that Ernie Kovacs' wife, born Edith Elizabeth Enke in Kingston and known professionally as Edie Adams, had a local connection? Her grandmother was a Bonham from Bloomingdale and Linda Moss can trace that line back to her Moss line!

A reunion with someone out of our past can be daunting. Will we recognize the person? Will they recognize us? Have they aged gracefully? Will there be anything in common? These questions raced through my mind Wednesday when Nancy and Bill Fricke brought Betty Janette Sieg (Ward) Brewington for a visit. Betty's 85 years have been very kind to her. As Father used to say, "she hasn't changed an iota."
Betty Brewington

Betty was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Sieg, Third Street, Benton. Her early years were spent with her parents in the house now owned by Beatrice Roberts. She graduated from the Benton Schools in 1942 and later from the Empire Beauty College, Wilkes-Barre. She married Warren B. Ward, son of Rev. Harry S. Ward, a Benton Methodist Church pastor from 1931-1936. Rev. Ward later moved to the Catawissa Methodist Church. Warren Ward was a graduate of South Williamsport High School. He was discharged from the Army after 35 months of service after being stationed n the Pacific area for 27 months. Betty recalls that he came to Benton from Catawissa after he returned from the war. He knocked on her door one day--and the rest, as they say, was history.

Warren and Betty were married at the Memorial Methodist Church, Mayo, Maryland. The couple lived in Edgewater, Maryland, after they married, then returned to Benton where he worked for the Atlantic Refining Company. The marriage ended in divorce, but three children--David, Rick and Donnie--came from the marriage.

In 1961, Betty married John NMN (no middle name) Brewington at the Benton Methodist Church. The Rev. Samuel Kissiel performed the service. Betty operated Betty's Beauty Shop and John was associated with the Argus. They lived on Church Street.

Over the years, Betty lived in the house now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Shultz, in the former residence of Dr. Ginter (now the Old Filling Station) which she purchased from Dr. Allen and where she occupied a beauty salon in the back of the building. She rented out the front room to a dentist from Hazleton. She also lived in the house which is now part of the annex of the Benton Christian Church, Church Street.

One well-known story about Donnie Ward took place in 1957 when he was six years old, a week before school started. Donnie went to the Kozy Korner for lunch during the time when Nina Wood ran the restaurant. According to a prearranged agreement, Nina called Betty when Donnie arrived for his lunch. Donnie and a couple of little friends went from lunch at the Kozy Korner to the dam. He then walked across the dry creek and climbed up the bank on the East side of the creek. His feet slipped as he climbed on the bank and he slid on his back into the only water left in the creek. He was unconscious when he hit the water. He had abrasions down his spine. His playmates scampered across the dry section of the creek and ran to the milk plant where Elery Hess was white washing walls. Elery ran to the dam. He saw Donnie's striped shirt in the water. A woman stationed at the Air Force base raced to Betty's house and brought Betty to the dam. They took Donnie in the ambulance and Betty remembers that he regained conscious as the ambulance rounded the rocks on the South side of the Borough as they headed for the hospital.

When we come back tomorrow, we'll tell you about Betty's life today.

Marion Jacob Cole (August 17, 1926-January 27, 2010), Sereno Hollow Road, Benton, died Wednesday at the Bloomsburg Health Care Center where he had been a resident since June 2009. He was 84. He was a son of Ray and Dora (Albertson) Cole. Mr. Cole lived in the family home his entire life and was a lifelong farmer who raised dairy cows, beef cows, grains, hay and corn. He had also been employed by the former Eyers Grove Mills as well as other local mills. He participated in the local farm association for many years.  He was a member of the Jackson Cemetery Association Board for many years.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Althea (Trivelpiece) Cole in 1996. Surviving are his son, Walter J. Cole (Lori), Benton; a grandson, Jerrod W. Cole, Benton; a niece, Sharon Diehl, Brick, NJ; nephews Bob Diehl (Candace), Camarillo, CA and Lee Diehl (Pam), Sayre, PA; a cousin, Larry Fausey (Susan), Benton. Funeral services will be held Saturday morning at 11 with viewing preceding at the McMichael Funeral Home. Burial will be in the Jackson Cemetery, Derrs. For online condolences or to sign the register book:  www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com

 

 

Thursday and Friday, January 28 and 29, 2010.

   January 28, 2010, the birthday of Cathy Cole Hartman, Teo Grigas, Jo Marie Shaffer, Ellen Lenbergs and Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. will open their new Berwick office this morning at 8:30. The new office is located at 300 Market Street, Berwick. Today is the last of the days above the freezing mark through the weekend.
   January 29, 2010, the birthday of Kristine Karns, Argil Posey and Whittier Letteer.
 
Quickies...
   • Remember the ham supper at the Benton United Methodist Church Saturday evening from 4-7.
 
   • Because of the flooding in Benton, Bloomsburg Health System rescheduled their H1N1 vaccine clinic in Benton. The new date is Tuesday, February 2. The times and location will remain the same at the Benton Laboratory, located at 4354 Red Rock Road (behind Cole's Barber Shop), from 6 AM - 10 AM, and from 3 PM - 6 PM).

   • It is exciting news that Apple announced a new device the company has christened the "iPad," with a half-inch thick, 9.7-inch, full capacitive multi-touch IPS display that weighs only 1.5 pounds. The price ranges from $499 to $699--with an additional $130 for 3G capability. The device will begin shipping in March. Pick up any newspaper Thursday and read about it.
 
   • The Commonwealth seems to be on track to approve legislation that will permit groups that sell commonly prepared baked goods to continue selling these products prepared outside of approved kitchens, thanks for action from the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. If passed, the measure permits the Department of Agriculture to overlook non-profit community groups--churches, booster organizations and volunteer fire companies--from selling home-baked food at fundraisers.  
 
   • Although you probably know it, it is worth repeating. Using a cell phone in almost any way while driving could soon be a thing of the past in the Commonwealth. There will soon be a ban on using hand-held cell phones while driving in the Commonwealth. The state House of Representatives' bill makes violating the ban a primary offense in Pennsylvania, which would permit a driver to be pulled over for committing that offense. The fine is more severe in a school zone, active-work zone, highway-safety corridor or emergency-response zone. Junior drivers--ages 16 to 18--will be prohibited from using wireless communications devices while driving. The bill now moves to the Senate.
 
   • The Benton Fire Company thanks all the family and friends of Hilda Rhinard that attended Sunday's breakfast. The breakfast was in her memory for many years of volunteer service. Firemen served a  crowd of 312 people. Rohrsburg resident and WWII veteran Joe Halderman had received a long overdue medal that he earned during the war. He was given the medal during a service at his church earlier in the day. Joe attended the breakfast. The hard-working firemen hope to see everybody at the next breakfast scheduled for February 28.
 
   • The hope was that the benefit dinner for Butch Cerullo would attract 250-300 people. Organizer Kathy Ball and friends served over 375 spaghetti dinners including take outs! Some friends came from as far as Maryland and New York Butch was thrilled seeing friends that he hasn't seen since the onslaught of cancer. He has been in and out of the hospital many times.
 

A once-popular phrase was "What are you going to do about it?" At the time it became popular, everyone knew its origin. It was said that it came into existence during an interview between "Boss" Tweed and a reporter during a reform movement. The saying by Boss Tweed was picked up by the press and spread throughout the country.

The phrase "taking the chair" or the word "chairman" comes from the time when the master of the house and his lady were the only ones who owned or occupied chairs. Everyone else, even when sharing a community-dining table, sat on stools or at a lower lever. A guest of consequence was honored by being invited to "take the chair."

Father was fond of using the expression "Chinaman's chance," especially when he was referring to anyone who played the Phillies, but little did I know back then that the saying didn't have anything to do with a Asiatic. The expression came from the 1820s when a writer in the London Weekly Dispatch referred to the light-hitting bare-knuckle fighter Tom Spring, whom he thought likely to break in a long fight, as a "china man" might if he were a porcelain man.

Here in "Dixie," there are varying versions of how that word came about. I always assumed that it came from the Mason-Dixon line, which was originally established in 1763 to settle a dispute between the lord proprietors Baltimore and Penn. I assumed that Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, when they marked the boundary between the free and slave states, were responsible for the word. I haven't a clue what the real answer is, but I was told locally that a bank in New Orleans issued notes in both French and English because there were so many people who could only read French. On the French ten-dollar note was printed the word "dix," which meant "tens." It was the most popular of these notes and in time was called a "dixie." The bank became known as the bank of the "dixies," and little by little the South was nicknamed the "land of the dixies." And there is another version, this one involving a slave owner named Dixie who lived in New York but sold his slaves to a Southern cotton planter when he was forbidden to keep slaves in the North. His slaves talked so much about "Dixie's land" where they had been happy that the place came to be regarded as sort of a paradise. D. D. Emmett wrote the song Dixie and may not have known that "Dixie's land was in the north or may have thought that the song would play better if set "way down south in de land ob cotton." Whatever the real story, when we speak of Dixie we are referring to the South.

And who can forget these old phrases? "If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you'll get another one when you get home," "I'll wash your mouth out with soap!," "Eat those turnips, they'll make you big and strong like your daddy" and "Hush your mouth!"

On January 26, 2010, Benton wrestled Lewisburg here are the results provided by Brian Hart. Lewisburg won 39 to Benton's 33 points. The match started at 215

   103 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by fall over Ben Price (L) 3:02
   112 - Matt Welliver (B) won by major decision 10-1 over Steven Gingher (L)
   119 - Colt Cotten (B) won by technical fall 18-3 over Jordan Danowsky (L)
   125 - Michael Rhone (B) won by fall over Sean Klingman (L) 0:22
   130 - Coltin Fought (B) won by fall over Brent Stolzfus (L) 0:23
   135 - Andrew Fox (L) won by fall over Derrian Metzinger (B) 4:23
   140 - Connor Kacin (L) won by forfeit
   145 - Curtis Schneider (L) won by fall over Jared Kline (B) 4:36
   152 - Erik Lawton (L) won by fall over Devon McMahon (B) 1:26
   160 - Brian VanSickle (L) won by forfeit
   171 - Nate Brown (L) won by decision 4-2 over Eric Hess (B)
   189 - Jake Mankey (B) won by decision 3-2 over Brandon Smith (L)
   215 - Shawn Charest (L) won by forfeit
   285 - Tyler DeMott (B) won by decision 8-3 over Darrick Clarke (L)

Benton is back in action today when they travel to Muncy.  The match starts at 7 PM.  Benton's record is now 7-4.

 

 

 

Nature was not kind Monday Back Home in Benton, PA. West Creek and Fishingcreek raged out of their banks and caused a great deal of flooding. We have pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/bentonnews/Jan2010flood# if you want to copy, print or edit them. The pictures are viewable as a slideshow by going to http://tinyurl.com/yf4k7f3 . None of the pictures were taken by me. They were all donated to the Benton News by amateur photographers and immediately circulated through the Benton News Facebook page.

The photos were taken as fast-rising flood waters hit the town. Don Rabb did not have any water at his home, but most of the rest of the town had more than they could handle.  The schools were surrounded by water and the students had to remain there until the waters receded enough to get the buses in to take them home.  One photo shows the road along the Mill Race golf course a mile north of town.   

Details are sketchy at this writing, and won't be fully sorted out until the light of day Tuesday. For reasons not fully understood, rain of about three inches Sunday night saturated the ground. Some of the ground was frozen, which kept the ground from getting saturated. Monday afternoon, the water suddenly erupted as if a dam upstream had let go. Mayor Swan had no water on North Street in front of her house and within two minutes had seven inches flowing by her residence.

SR 487 in Sugarloaf Township between Saint Gabriel Hill Road and the Inn Under flooded. The Inn Under took water and the residence of Nina Baker was surrounded by water. Water started flooding in the borough at Mendenhall Lane. Diane Laubach was able to get to her house by driving north along the rodeo grounds and then crossing the stream of water on Main Street carefully. The fish hatchery at the golf course took a severe beating, and members will convene there at 8 AM Tuesday to assess the damage. Reports circulated that the footbridge over the trout stream was destroyed, but could not be confirmed at press time. Clair Harvey, president of the Sportsmen's Association, simply said it "doesn't look good."

Water raced over borough streets in a torrent generally unseen in most people's lives. Main, Third, Colley, Park and Market Streets flooded. Ed Cole said that the water was only about a foot below the water that devastated Benton during Hurricane Eloise. The area around the Benton Volunteer Fire Company was flooded, with fire trucks moved to Christ the King Church. The Benton Area Schools were not immediately dismissed, since a route to get children home was not available. State police eventually assisted in getting the children away from the school. The Orangeville Fire Company helped to get Maple Grove residents evacuated. The Center was evacuated and volunteer Nina Ford was forced to climb in Center Director's Rob Hutchison's Jeep to return home to Huntington Mills. Water raced West on Market Street as far as Dan and Mary's Hartman's home.

A rumor started that the Benton dam had collapsed. There was no truth to the story, and many felt that it was reported because in fact it was impossible to see the dam for all the running water. Water was coming over the dike on the West side of Fishingcreek. The water severely damaged the dike in a number of places, several of which were the same places where the flood of 2006 did damage to the dike system.

A portion of Park Street was damaged from overflowing water. The street was undermined by three to five feet in an area eight- to ten-feet wide. The street has been barricaded and school busses will not be able to travel this portion of the street Tuesday morning.

Flooding took place on SR 4041 (Rohrsburg Road) in Orange Township between Green Creek Road and Sportsman Club Road.

Nature won't be exactly easy on the area Tuesday and the rest of the week. Tuesday-morning temperatures will be below freezing, not a consolation for those who lost basement furnaces Monday. High temperatures Tuesday, with some rain and snow thrown into the mix, will be about 36° with a low of 26°. Nighttime temperatures will fall for the rest of the week--19° Thursday and 12° Friday.

 

 

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, January 25, 26 and 27, 2010.

   January 25, 2010, the birthday of Ruth Cavanaugh, Penny Fritz and Virginia Cole.

   January 26, 2009, the birthdays of David Hilley, Allen Strauch, Marie Hornberger and Eugene Ribble.

   January 27, 2010, the birthday of Tami Letteer, Megan DePoe and Dexter Ribble. Other birthdays on this date include composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Hyman George Rickover.
 
Quickies...
   • The Sullivan Review identified the location of the first natural-gas well in Sullivan County. It is in Cherry Township east of Dushore and Route 220 on the Bill Hunsinger and Gordon Durland farms.

   • Google has a new search feature called "answer highlighting" which emphasizes answers to queries. Let's say you want to know the height of the Empire State Building. In Google, type "empire state height." The words used in the query will be returned and will be bold. It works in most but not all cases.

   • Bob Kelsey and his oncology team have a plan for recovery using continuous chemotherapy and radiation therapy for five weeks (radiation five days a week for five weeks) beginning after February 6. Radiation will be focused on the area of his new esophagus and may mean that he will have problems swallowing (or wanting to swallow) and could be back on tube feedings during some of this time. The doctors told Bob that "the significant gains" in energy he made from surgery will be diminished. Because of the location of the cancer and his other chronic-health issues, the treatments and complicated therapy will take place in Philadelphia, rather than in a local hospital. Please keep Bob in your prayers.

   • Take the time to watch Oliver North's inspirational tribute to American military by going here.

   • Mozilla has come out with their new version of the Firefox web browser--version 3.6--and claim that it is 20% faster than version 3.5. I suggest that you download and use it. Upgrade existing versions by going here.

   • Former Benton resident Bob McKelvey was stationed at the Benton Air Force Station. He now lives in Cape May, New Jersey, where his major occupation is to tell me when I get a day or a date wrong on the Benton News--a position which is almost a full-time job. Over the weekend, he saw a flock of birds taking a morning bath in a puddle. Many of the birds were robins. It will be interesting to see who sees the first "returning" robin of the spring in the local area.

Frederick Mitchell, Jr.'s Aunt Dee sent him some phrases that have fallen out of favor, ones she knew as a little girl. Here are some examples: "Watch for the mailman, I want to get this letter to Willie in the mail today," "Stop slamming the screen door when you go out," "Be sure to wind the clock (or wash your feet) before you go to bed," "You darsen't go outside with your school clothes on," "Pour the cream off the top of the Golden Guernsey when you open the bottle," "Let me know when Coy Remley comes by; I need to get a few things from him," "I don't have ten cents to waste on you going to the Ritz. Do you think money grows on trees?"

Father always called these old phrases "chestnuts." (He also called old cars and old houses "chestnuts!) So where did these chestnuts come from? Shakespeare was probably the granddaddy of old sayings at one time--he furnished the world with quotations for hundreds of years. Most old sayings probably were never uttered by the person we commonly attribute them to, and most have little relationship to the way they were originally intended or uttered.

Old phrases aren't new. Take the phrase, "Up, guards, and at them," supposedly yelled by the Duke at Waterloo. Well, the guard died, so who knows if he actually said it. It was repeated for years and you can find it today in references to the battle.

Some old phrases are wonderful. Some hand-me-downs should gracefully fall out of existence. Here are some examples that I see written, but rarely said. These can go away as far as I am concerned: "From the sublime to the ridiculous," "Noble in its simplicity," "Cut to the quick," "The beginning of the end," "No incident occurred to mar the solemnity of the occasion," "A grand old name," "Little did he anticipate." This list could go on forever depending on taste. These candidates for extinction are still used from time to time to make the world a duller place.

The trite old saying, "Every dog has its day," certainly applies to popular phrases. They spring up suddenly, often when a politician makes a miscue. They play their part in our local or national vocabulary, achieve a degree of popularity, then quickly disappear. Often we don't know where the sayings came from, where they would take us if we understood them and we often don't even quote them as originally spoken or written.

Usually the phrases are not remarkable for their elegance. They are often highly expressive as they circulate from mouth to mouth and soon become everyone's property. We tend to love some phrases and use them all the time; other phrases we can't stand. A former postmistress of Beach Haven, at the former canal stop between Berwick and Shickshinny, a Mrs. Sealy, included in virtually every sentence and question the phrase "you know what I mean?" After a short talk with her, the conversation turned monotonous, if you know what I mean.

Whenever we introduce a subject such as this, we have a large reader input. This discussion will continue when we next get together. If you have an old phrase or old saying that you like (or dislike) tell us about it.

Nancy J. McMann (December 10, 1938-January 22, 2010) died at her 168 Shannon Hill Road home Friday after being seriously ill for a month. She was 71. Nancy was born in Raven Creek. She was a daughter of the late Alton P. and Pauline R. (Camp) Getz. Nancy was a 1956 graduate of Benton High School. She returned to Raven Creek in 1993 after living in Macedon, New York, for more than 30 years where she managed a diner. Surviving are sons Sherman C. McMann, Macedon, and Rodney McMann, (Jolene), Summerville, South Carolina; a granddaughter, Charlotte McMann, Summerville, SC; and siblings Charles P. Getz (Elsie Mae), Cheybogan, Michigan, Delores J. Myers, Shortsville, NY; Shelva Jean Foust (Ray), Benton, David B. Getz ( Blanche), Benton; Guy Nelson Getz (Terry), Shortsville, NY; and Betty M. Reimard, with whom she resided. She was preceded in death by brothers Arley D. Getz, Robert A. Getz, Carl T. Getz, Jack A. Getz, Timothy A. Getz, B. William Getz and Alton P. Getz, Jr. Services will be private. Friends may call on Wednesday from 6-8 PM at the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Benton.
 
 
M. Olive Dieffenbach (September 19, 1914-September 19, 1914), 3336 Stone House Court, Bethlehem, died Thursday  at the Old Orchard Manor Nursing Home, Easton. She was 95. Olive was born in Huntington Township. She was a daughter of the late Enoch A. and Rosa A. (Hoyt) Dohl.  She was a 1931 graduate of the former Huntington Mills High School. She spent her early years in Cambra and later lived in Doylestown where she was employed by the Bucks County Association for Retarded Children for 11 years, retiring in 1969. She was employed as a secretary at Huntington Mills High School and later at Northwest High School for a total of eight years. She moved to rural Stillwater in 1971 and lived there until 1995 when she moved to Shickshinny. In 2006, she moved to Bethlehem to live with her granddaughter, Donna Cary, and her husband William.

She was preceded in death by her husband, H. Earl Dieffenbach, on November 7, 1994; by a daughter, Ruth O. Sutliff on April 26, 2006; by a sister, Ruth A. Dohl; and by brothers J. Paul Dohl; Rush Dohl; and Karl Dohl. Surviving are a son, Roy E. Dieffenbach (Magdalina), Stillwater; a son-in-law, W. Dana Sutliff, Hunlock Creek; four grandchildren, including Donna Cary; and eight great grandchildren. She was the last of her immediate family. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday morning at 11 in the Town Hill United Methodist Church, 417 Town Hill Road, Shickshinny. Friends will be received at the church preceding. Interment will be in the Cambra Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Dean W. Kriner, Inc. Funeral Home, Benton.

 

Kenneth E. Kile (July 6, 1924-Jan. 22, 2010), died Friday at the Bonham Nursing Center, Stillwater. He was 85. He was born in Sugarloaf Township. He was a son of Guy E. and Grace A. (Everett) Kile. He lived in Florida for 20 years, and returned to this area from Old Town, Florida, in April 2009. Ken was a former mechanic for Brown Chevrolet, Berwick, for more than 40 years, retiring in 1989.  Ken was preceded in death by his wife, the former Lena A. Kile, on March 28, 2009; by sons Gary Kile and Roger L. Kile; by a brother, Guy J. Kile; and by sisters Isabelle K. Long and Roselyn Fahringer. Surviving children are Richard E. Kile, Stillwater; Janet M. Zagata, Shickshinny; Gordon L. Kile (Lori), Bloomsburg; Terry A. Kile (Lorrenna), Stillwater; Herman L. Kile (Pamela), Orleans, Indiana; Rebecca (Mark) Altman, Irmo, SC; 17 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; a daughter-in-law, Debbie Kile, Berwick; a sister, Iris Johnson, Bloomsburg; and a brother, Ronald S. Kile (Mae), Pond Hill. Memorial services will be Monday evening at 6 in Bethany United Methodist Church, Pine Street at Summerhill Avenue, Berwick. There will be no viewing. Arrangements are by the Dean W. Kriner Inc., Bloomsburg. To sign the guest book or to send a message of condolence, go to www.krinerfuneralhomes.com.

 

 

Saturday and Sunday, January 23 and 24, 2010.

    January 23, 2010, the birthday of Lea Litwhiler, Robert Lewis and David Shaffer. Other birthdays on this date included Ernie Kovacs and Princess Caroline of Monaco.  Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) and Johnny Carson died on this day. You don't remember Johnny? Take a look here and refresh your memory.

    January 24, 2010, the birthday of Jeff Lynn and the 26th birthday of the Macintosh computer. Birthdays on this day include Ernest Borgnine, Ray Stevens, Aaron Neville, Sharon Tate, Neil Diamond and Oral Roberts. On this date in 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of '49.

Quickies...

   • Bob's Keller's brother Stanley, and his wife Wilma, had a close call in Haiti when as members of a missionary group with Souderton Mennonite Church they got caught up in the 6.1 earthquake that rocked the island. The couple are now safely back in Souderton.

    • The Commonwealth's unemployment rate ticked up a bit in December from 8.5% to 8.9%. The national unemployment rate is 10%.

   • Pennsylvania's Yuengling beer is no stranger to Florida--or to beer drinkers in general. The oldest brewery in the United States delivered more beer in 2009 than 2008, while most major breweries sustained sales losses in 2009.

   • The century-old Luzerne County Courthouse will get a $5 million make-over this spring, mostly involving roof repairs and waterproofing. Restoration should be complete in time for a fresh shellacking by politicians.

    • The Energizer Bunny of the kitchen, Kathy Ball, along with her friend, Annette, are having a spaghetti-dinner benefit for their good friend Butch Cerullo who has brain lymphoma. It takes place at the Berwick VFW, Saturday, January 23, from noon to 4 PM. Dinner includes spaghetti and homemade meatballs, salad and a dinner roll. There will be a bake sale, 50/50 drawling, raffle baskets and a Chinese auction. They hope to serve 300 people. This will be the next biggest dinner Kathy has under her belt since the Stake Holders Dinner at The Center. Interested in attending? Contact Kathy by calling 925-0163.

   • Virginia Patterson Hensley, better known as Patsy Cline, died when she was 30 in a 1963 private-airplane crash. One of her best songs, sung with a twist, can be seen here.

    • U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, is expected to make a decision soon on the Guv's proposal to toll Interstate 80 . Most residents of the state feel that it is no more than highway robbery.

    • The New York Times Company announced that the newspaper will start charging visitors to its web site at the beginning of 2011.

    • It appears that Exxon Mobil is coming under fire for its planned $30B purchase of XTO Energy because of reduced-competition issues and problems relating to hydraulic fracturing.

 

On January 21, Benton High School wrestled Columbia Montour Vo-Tech.  The final score was Benton 57, Vo-Tech 12.  The match started at 135. Here are the results

   135 - Double Forfeit - No Bout
   140 - Derrian Metzinger (B) won by forfeit
   145 - Jared Kline (B) won by decision 9-5 over Trevor Patterson (V)
   152 - Double Forfeit - No Bout
   160 - Troy Patterson (V) won by fall 3:00 over Devon McMahon (B)
   171 - Eric Hess (B) won by fall 1:10 over Jamie Strausser (V)
   189 - Jake Mankey (B) won by fall 1:48 over Corey Reckla (V)
   215 - Rodney Styer (V) won by forfeit
   285 - Corey Davis (B) won by fall 2:31 over Dakota Brown (V)
   103 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by fall 0:39 over John Miller (V)
   112 - Matt Welliver (B) won by fall 3:34 over Rusty Crone (V)
   119 - Colt Cotten (B) won by fall 2:12 over Ronny DIngle (V)
   125 - Kyle Doud (B) won by fall 1:41 over Cody Roadarmel (V)
   130 - Coltin Fought (B) won by fall 0:25 over Jordan Rainer (V)

Benton will travel Saturday to wrestle at the NHSCA Final Four in Easton. The Benton team will wrestle nationally ranked #1 Blair Academy, NJ, at 11 AM, #24 Long Branch, NJ, at 1 PM and #14 Collins Hill, GA, at 5 PM.  The match can be seen at www.bentontigerswrestling.com.  There will be a live streaming and results provided there.  (These rankings are provided by National publisher W.I.N. Magazine, January 5, 2010.


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