| Print Edition Highlights - January 15, 2015
By Jeffrey B. Roth
Photo by Jeffrey B. Roth.
Cara Salemme, volunteer with Campaign for Compassion, which supports the medical cannabis bill, and Senator Daylin Leach, one of the bill sponsors, work the booth at the Farm Show Northwest Hall Wednesday morning.
____ Relegated to the Northwest Hall of the Farm Show Complex, in Harrisburg, away from the bustling flow of pedestrian traffic, a booth advocating the passage of the Medical Cannabis Bill was drawing the curiosity of visitors.
____ Pa. Senator Daylin Leach, (D-17), along with his director of community outreach, M.P. Tomei, and a handful of volunteers, were manning the green-draped booth, handing out brochures and answering questions from Farm Show visitors about Senate Bill 3, which would allow marijuana to be prescribed by medical professionals as a drug to treat various conditions related to diseases. Tomei said they have handed out more than 3,000 brochures and had 400 people sign a petition supporting the passage of the bill.
____ “There a lot of people who will benefit from the passage of the bill,” Leach said. “The Senate passed the bill, 43 to 7, last year on September 24.”
____ Leach said he expects passage of the legislation soon, now that Gov. Tom Corbett, who opposed the bill, lost the election to Democrat Tom Wolfe. Wolfe supports the legislation.
____ Later Wednesday afternoon, Senator Mike Folmer, (R-48), who also supports legalizing medical marijuana, joined Leach at the booth. Folmer and Sen. Judy Schwank, (D-11), during a press conference on Saturday, both voiced support of Senate Bill 50 that would legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp, also part of the marijuana family.
See the January 15, 2015 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.
By Carolyn Kimmel
Photo by Curt Werner.
Wellsville Elementary School Secretary Pat Wiley is surrounded by students wishing her well on the announcement of her retirement.
____ After nearly three decades as the school secretary at Wellsville Elementary School, Pat Wiley decided to celebrate her retirement much the same way she did her job – by giving to students.
____ Known affectionately as “the polar bear lady,” Wiley had amassed hundreds of polar bears – stuffed, resin, china and more – as gifts from students and staff over the 28 years she worked at the school. Her collection was so large that she devoted a guest room of her home to it.
____ “I started wrapping them individually in newspaper for every student in the school,” said Wiley, who retired last month.
____ That totaled 217 polar bears – and she still had leftovers to offer the staff their pick while keeping about 50 polar bears for herself.
____ “I went into the school at night and put the gifts all over the cafeteria tables. The next morning I went on the interschool TV and told the children that I had a gift for each one and that they would come down as a class to the cafeteria and pick a gift, but they were to put it in their backpack and take it home to open it,” she said. “The bus drivers told me the next day how excited the kids were on the way home.”
____ Wiley’s next day was filled with hugs and thank yous.
See the January 15, 2015 edition of the Dillsburg Banner for details.
By Jeffrey B. Roth
____ When U.S. Republican senators are in Hershey this week for the first joint House and Senate Republicans Retreat in 10 years, they will understand why Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey (R-Sweetest Place on Earth), was chosen for one of most coveted appointments in the Senate.
____ In his continuing fight against the deficit - the candy deficit - Toomey has accepted the weighty responsibility of stocking the Senate’s coveted “Candy Desk.” Last week, Sen. Toomey, who admits to possessing a sweet tooth, was appointed to the job of keeping the Senate's Candy Desk stocked with goodies.
____ Since 1965, the Candy Desk has been located in the back row, on the Republican side of the U.S. Senate, adjacent to the most heavily used entrance to the Senate Chamber, explained Julie E. Adams, the 33rd Secretary to the Senate.
____ “The Candy Desk duty is Mounds of responsibility,” Sen. Toomey said. “I campaigned for this assignment on the platform of life, liberty and the pursuit of Peeps and hope Pennsylvania’s treats will sweeten the bitter partisan atmosphere.”
____ Senator George Murphy of California originated the practice of keeping a supply of candy in his desk for his fellow senators, Toomey said. Each senator who has occupied the desk since has carried on the tradition of providing their colleagues with a sugar rush. While the Candy Desk is stocked by Republicans, it is intended for the enjoyment of Senators from both sides of the aisle.
Also in the January 15, 2015 edition:
___
___ -Community Calendar
___ -Obituaries
___ -Letters to the Editor
___ -Editorials
___ -Births
___ -20 years ago
___ -Classifieds
Print Edition Highlights - January 15, 2015
By Joe Guty
Photo by Curt Werner.
Northern's Bobby Shelly flies high in the air for two points against Big Spring on Friday night, January 9.
____It was a good night for Northern H.S. varsity basketball.
____Fan friendly Dillsburg was in full force last Friday when the Polar Bears defeated Big Spring 66-32. "Pack the House Night" was Northern's "sixth man" in their convincing Mid Penn Colonial clash with the Bulldogs. Northern found the open man often to build a 38-18 halftime lead and then outscored the visitors 28-14 in the last two quarters.
____Scott Leitholf was firing on all cylinders as he hit seven shots from the field and was 6-for-7 at the foul line to pace the Polar Bears with 20 points. Eric Jacobs and Ben Anderson added 10 points apiece (including two three-pointers apiece).
____"I thought the kids really played well as a team, they moved the ball and hit the open guy," said head coach John Albert. "No one was forcing the ball."
____Other scorers for Northern included: Owen Clendaniel (7), Curtis Robison (6), Nick Sacoman (5), Bobby Shelly (4), John Markey (2) and Jack McKenzie (2). Peyton Bechtold led the Bulldogs with 11 points and Ryker Armond added nine points.
By Joe Guty
Photo by Curt Werner.
Northern's Rachel Eby placed first in the girls 100 yard freestyle with a time of :58.90.
____ Facing District 3 power Schuylkill Valley H.S. the Northern H.S. boys swimming and diving team made a strong statement with a 119-59 victory last Thursday, January 8. With Bryce Carroll, Josh Clarke, Cory Poe and Peter Wheat, the host Polar Bears started things right with a 1:43.00 win in the 200 Medley Relay. The same quartet later won the 400 Freestyle Relay in 3:22.74.
____ The Girls team fought very hard for every point, but the Panther divers' 10 points provided their margin of victory, with a final score of 95-85. Head coach Bill Resser said that the team had "many memorable, courageous performances."
____ The proof was in the pool as Northern recorded 31 career best times, 12 season best times, five in season best times and three career first times. Josh Clarke set a new pool record as he lowered his own mark in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 47.96. Peter Wheat took gold in the 200 Freestyle (1:53.35) and Bryce Carroll won the 200 IM (2:08.3). The visitors' Colin Gwiazdowski won the 50 Freestyle (24.05) and teamed with C. Grace, B. Moody and M. Orlando to take the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:40.97). Diver Garrett Mixon won his specialty with 284.65 points. Ethan Spencer added another first place when he won the 100 Butterfly (1:03.49) and Josh Clarke won the100 Freestyle in record setting fashion (47.96). Other individual winners included: Peter Wheat in the 500 Freestyle (5:04.78), Josh Clarke in the 100 Backstroke (54.84) and Ethan Spencer in the 100 Breaststroke (1:07.32).
By Dave Wolf
The lower Susquehanna has added consumption impairment channel catfish larger than 20 inches, due to (PCBs).
____ The wise use of water resources has been a lifetime pursuit of mine, so much so that I was part of designing the PA Fish & Boat Commission’s (PF&BC) “Resource First Logo” and helped place, protect, conserve and enhance in their proper order. I also wrote the quote for a poster the PF&BC distributed; “The creek is a symbol of our greatest resource; as the creek flows so does mankind.”
____ I really don’t need credit for any of it, because I judge success by the crowds that gather to claim it for their own. Sometime in the past, during a war over yet another dam in the Harrisburg area, my career with the PA Fish and Boat Commission abruptly ended, right after the one of the greatest conservationists I have ever known passed away. Ralph W. Able was a conservationist through and through, and along with Maurice Goddard and Ken Sink, accomplished more than anyone I know in their service to the Commonwealth. His motto was: "Do your duty and fear no one!"
____ I have little doubt that if he was still leading the charge, the fight for clean water would be farther along, or he would have been fired. His ability to ward off political pressure was one of his greatest attributes, but if it would have been enough to survive in this day and age is anyone’s guess.
____ The Susquehanna River was a problematic child back in the mid-80’s, and I had many discussions with Ralph and staff biologists over its eventual fate. We knew it was a tough task, finding and weeding out non-point pollutants, and with a watershed that large, the task was and still remains daunting.
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