By Maria Cascario

What a pleasant surprise last

week when Reverend Barry
Eng
of
the
Roseto
Presbyterian Church hosted a
group of Rider University
students! The students had
visited Roseto, PA a few
weeks earlier and returned to
film a documentary on the
Roseto Effect and its mark
on residents who were
involved in the Heart study in
the 1960s.
The students who are juniors
and
seniors
at
Rider
University in Lawrenceville,
NJ are studying digital media
and filmed their interviews in
the church.
Gabriella Flamini, Carlie
Spaeder, Jalen Thomas and
Jonathan
Amaya
were
absoutely delightful in their
quest for information on the
phenomenon still intriguing
people after all these years.
Im interested in Italian
culture because Im Italian.
While looking up Italian
culture on the Internet, I came
across the Roseto effect. I
realized Roseto was not too
far from school and it was
extremely interesting so we
decided to film the residents,
said producer Gabriella.
Reverend Eng graciously
offered the church social room
as a meeting place.

In case you are new to the

area, Knowlton Township,NJ
has a thrift store!
The
Knowlton United Methodist
Church Community Thrift
Store is located at 503 Route
94 in Columbia, NJ, just two
doors down from the church
and neighbors to the Lions
Club
Building
(former
American Legion). The
Thrift Store ministry serves
the community by offering
quality clothing, housewares,
linens, books, collectibles,
toys and other items as
economically as possible.
The store has been a huge
success over the years due to
the amazing efforts of numerous volunteers from both the
church and the community.
One customer, who started
out shopping at the thrift
store over six years ago,
happily reports that it is the
great bargains and friendly
faces that has kept her
coming back to the store over

the years. Now a volunteer at

the store and church member,
she loves seeing customers
return to the store and sharing
stories of how happy they
have been with their
purchases and how a certain
purchase put a smile on their

face.
They have been witness to
some very touching moments
at the store. Imagine the
mother who is just scraping
by and has to tell their child
who has fallen in love with an
item from the childrens room

Were basically trying to

get information on the Roseto
Effect. Thats our main
subject. Were curious about
the town and how its changed
after the first study, Carlie
said.
The students enjoyed their
interviews with Mayor Joseph
Angelini, Mamie Ciliberti,
Jim Ciliberti and Dorothy
Ruggiero. They heard from
them what life was like
decades ago in Roseto and
they elaborated on changes
that occurred over the years.
Phyllis Menecola Snyder and
Prospie
Zito
brought
newspaper clippings and other
memorabilia to show the

to put the item back because

she doesnt have the money
to pay for it, as she tries to
determine what she can
afford from the few necessary items she has picked
out. Before the person working in the store can even

students.
Mayor Angelini summed up
the
feelings
of
most
townspeople
by
saying
Roseto is still a quaint little
town. Its a great place to live
and a great place to raise a
family.
They also stopped at
Ruggieros Market where the
students met the owner, Dave
Ruggiero and filmed the store
with its aisles of Italian
products.
Everyone
enjoyed
the
conversation and fellowship
that afternoon and the students
were invited to come back
soon for a homemade cavatelli
dinner, a Roseto tradition!

address the situation, another

customer in the store who has
overheard the distress in the
mothers voice as she talks to
her child, quietly tells the
store worker, Please tell that
woman not to put anything
back; I will pay for what she
cant.
Paying it forward happens
often at the KUMC Community Thrift Store. Heartwarming stories such as this
one are commonplace and
sharing the love of Jesus
Christ with our neighbors is
what serving the Lord is all
about. The KUMC Community Thrift Store volunteers
are grateful for the opportunity to serve our Lord and our
community!
As your local Community
Thrift Store, they encourage
community members to think
about recycling those items
that are no longer used, but
that are in good condition in

Bangor Boutique, located

at the Bangor High School,
is now collecting gently used
formal wear, shoes and
jewelry for prom. The
Bangor Boutique is set up to
ensure that every student has a
memorable prom experience
regardless of financial status.
The Bangor Womens Club
will be accepting applications from senior students at
Bangor and Faith Christian
High Schools for consideration for their 2016 scholarship. The scholarship amount
is $1000. Applications can be
obtained from the school guidance office and the deadline to
submit the completed application is April 15th.
The Slate Belt Chamber of
Commerce applications for
the Scholarship Achievement Award 2016 are available at the guidance departments of Bangor High
School, Pen Argyl High
School, Faith Christian and
Career Institute of Technology. The Slate Belt Chamber
of Commerce will award one
scholarship to a senior from
each of the five area schools.
Applicants must reside in the
Slate Belt to apply. The scholarships will be presented to the
students based upon the
following criteria: academic
accomplishment,
demonstrated service to school
and/or community, demonstration of leadership capabilities, and future vocational
plans. Please note: A separate award, The Frederick
R. Curcio, Jr. Scholarship
Award, may also be applied
for at this time. To qualify, a
senior must be either registered at Lincoln Technical
Institute or majoring in
computer science. Applica-

tions must be received by

April 15th. A Scholarship
Awards Dinner is planned for
May 19th. For more information, contact the guidance
department or the chamber
office at 610-588-1000.
Slater Family Network is
sponsoring a $2,000 scholarship for a 2016 Bangor High
School graduate. Applications are now available on the
school district website under
the Slater Family Network tab,
in the HS guidance office or
the SFN office behind
DeFranco Elementary School.
Completed applications are
due at SFN on April 28th.
The family of Denny
Strouse is sponsoring a
$1,000 scholarship through
Slater Family Network for a
2016 Bangor High School
graduate. The applications
are available on the school
district website under the
Slater Family Network tab, in
the HS Guidance Office, or
the SFN office behind
DeFranco Elementary School.
Completed applications are
due at SFN on April 28th. Call
the SFN office at 610-5997019 with any questions.
Families First, Pen Argyls
family center, will award a
$500 Scholarship to a qualifying student from the Pen
Argyl School District. The
scholarship promotes volunteerism in the community and
recognizes the efforts of a teen
volunteer. Criteria for application are: volunteered in
community service for at least
two years; is a 12th grade
student at Pen Argyl High
School; has been accepted at a
post-secondary college, trade
school or technical school.
Deadline for application is
May 1st. Applications may be
obtained from the guidance
office at PAHS or Frank W.
Jones, Jr., Director of Fami-

lies First at the Wind Gap

Middle
School.
For
additional
information,
contact Frank Jones, at 610863-3688
or
email
jones.frank@penargylsd.org
Upper Mt. Bethel Twp. is
looking to form a community park committee and is
seeking three residents of
Upper Mt. Bethel Twp. to
join.
The committee is
strictly volunteer to oversee
phases of the park and scheduling of events at the park.
Please submit your letter of
interest to Upper Mount
Bethel Township Municipal
Building, Attn: Board of
Supervisors, 387 Ye Olde
Highway, Mount Bethel, PA
18343, or email officesec
retary@uppermtbethel.org.
The Slate Belt Heritage
Center is looking for volunteers to assist with the
second phase of its Homefront Project. The phase has
begun and biographies of each
of the letter writers are being
researched. Volunteers will
meet on Mondays from 9am
to noon. For additional information, contact the center at
SBHC@fron tier.com or
contact Karen Brewer at 610588-8615.
The Bangor High School
Class of 1966 will hold their
50th Reunion on October
8th at the Delaware Water
Gap Country Club. Cocktails and class picture will be
at 6pm with a buffet dinner to
follow at 7pm. On October
7th, the class will attend the
Bangor High School football
game and sit as a group. They
will then have a get together at
Liberty Fire Hall after the
game. In honor of this being
the 50th reunion, the class will
be the guests at this years
Bangor High School graduation and will sit as a group.
Time and definite date are to
be determined.The class is
seeking a current address for
the following classmates:
Sondra
Buskirk
Baier,
Jacqueline Williams Bartosh,
Patricia Pysher Bennett,
Robert
Mack,
Charlene
Pasqualino, Linda Repsher
Silvius,
Linda
Meixsell
Yeakel, Richard Danner,
Glenda Dunk, James Folk,
James LaBarre, Diana Galatioto,
Donna
Davidson
Edwards, David Tieff, Mikael
Turner, and Thomas Kittle.
Please contact Karen Brewer
at 610-588-8615 or 484-8945661 with information.
The Washington Twp.
Board of Supervisors is
seeking members for the
Recreation
Committee.
Volunteers are needed to fill
two permanent member
vacancies and two alternate
vacancies. The goal of the
Washington Twp. Recreation
Committee is to enhance the
recreational resources available to residents. This Committee meets the fourtth Tuesday of each month at 7pm.

Washington
Township
residents interested in filling
these vacancies are asked to
submit a letter of interest to:
Washington Township Board
of Supervisors, 1021 Washington Blvd., Bangor, PA
18013.
The Salvation Army in Pen
Argyl has several slots
available for overnight
youth summer camp in the
Poconos. For more information, call 610-863-6677.
The Slate Belt Regional
Police have a drug takeback box at their 6292
Sullivan Trail office in
Nazareth. For more information, call their non-emergency
line at 610-759-8517, or fax
610-759-8523.
The Bangor Elks would
like to thank everyone for
being patient in regards to
their 2016 show cancellation. Look for updates in The
PRESS for their 2017 show.

Fresh, refrigerated and

frozen foods are available to
northwestern New Jersey
residents at reduced prices
through the Jolin Food Box
program. The food assistance program offers a variety
of ordering options, from
breakfast-lunch-dinner
combination packs to boxes
of dinner entrees to special
packages just for children.
The price of a single box
ranges from $20 to $40.
There is no limit to the
number
of
boxes
an
individual or family can
purchase, and the menu
changes each month. Interested residents can order
online with a credit card at
jolinfoodbox.com or by
calling
Project
SelfSufficiency at 973-940-3500
or 844-807-3500. Payment is
made when the order is
placed. The next deadline for
placing an order is Wednesday, April 13th; delivery will
be made to Project SelfSufficiency on Saturday,
April 23rd. For more information, call 973-940-3500 or
844-807-3500,
or
visit
projectselfsufficiency.org.
Knowlton Twp. Elementary School is planning for
the 2016-2017 school year.
At this time they would like
to identify as many children
as possible who will be
eligible for kindergarten in
September. To be eligible for
kindergarten, a child must be
five years old by October 1st.
If you have not already done
so, and you have a child who
will be eligible for next years
kindergarten class, call the
school at 908-475-5118, ext.
200. Dates for screening of
next years kindergarten
students will be released at a
later date.
Parents will
receive details in the mail.
Please pass this information
along to anyone in Knowlton

Twp. who may have a child

eligible for kindergarten in
September.
Knowlton Twp. Elementary is now accepting registrations for their preschool
program for fall. Children
must be four years old by
October 1st, and must be toilet
trained. The program runs
Monday through Friday from
9am to 11:30am when school
is in session. Transportation is
not provided for this program.
If interested, please contact
the school office at 908-4755118, ext. 200.
Knowlton Township has
entered into a cooperative
gypsy moth control program
with the NJ Department of
Agriculture. A contract will
be awarded to apply Bacillus
thuringiensis var. kurstaki
(FORAY 76B, EPA Reg#
73049-49) using aircraft to
areas infested with gypsy
moth larvae. Aerial application will begin on or after May
16th through June 15th or
until completion from 5:30am
to 2pm, and possibly in the
evenings from 5pm to 8pm in
the affected areas. A map
indicating the exact areas to be
treated along Mt. Pleasant
Road is available for inspection at the municipal building.
Residents may contact the
municipal clerks office at
908-496-4816, ext. 6, or
stopping by the office, located
at 628 Route 94 in Columbia
for information regarding the
exact date, application times
and any other information
concerning the treatment
program. Individuals wishing
additional information about
pesticides may contact the
National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-8587378. For emergencies, call
the NJ Poison Information and
Education System at 1-800222-1222. For pesticide regulation information, pesticide
complaints, and health referrals, call the NJ Pesticide
Control Program at 609-9846507. Upon request, the pesticide applicator, or applicator
business shall provide a
resident with notification 12
hours prior to the application
except for Quarantine and
Disease Vector Control only,
when conditions necessitate
pesticide applications sooner
than that time. Additional
information about the program
is also available on the NJ
Department of Agriculture's
website
at
nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi
/prog/gypsymoth.html.
Registration is now open
for the Tri Mountain Lake
Sprint Triathlon taking

place on July 16th, in

Liberty (Mountain Lake).
The sprint triathlon tours the
surrounding area of Mountain
Lake in Liberty NJ. After a
half-mile swim in the pristine
lake, get ready for some ups
and downs on the 15-mile bike
ride. Then finish off on the
three-mile run giving a view
from each angle of the lake.
Participants can sign up to
compete as individuals or as a
team of three. Teams will
compete with each member
completing one leg of the
event, and their time will be
recorded and displayed versus
other team entries. To register,
v
i
s
i
t
runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Liber
ty/TRIMountainLake.
Knowlton Seniors is seeking new members 55 or older
from Knowlton Township
and surrounding areas. They
offer multiple trips to different
sights each year. They meet
the first Friday of each month
at the Knowlton United Methodist Church on Route 94 at
1:30pm with few exceptions.
For more information, call Sue
at 908-496-4740.
Quality
artisans
and
antique vendors are wanted
for the Belvidere in Bloom
Summer Festival on June
11th, from 9am to 5pm at
Garret D. Wall Park in
Belvidere. For more information, call 908-310-7203 or
visit BelvidereinBloom.com.
In anticipation of its 13th
anniversary assisting northwestern NJ residents, Project Self-Sufficiency is asking
former
participants
to
contact the agency. Information gathered from former
participants would be used
throughout the upcoming year
as part of the agencys celebration. Former adult participants, as well as the grown
children of former participants, are asked to call Project
Self-Sufficiency at 973-9403500 or 844-807-3500.
North Warren KnitWits
needs new members to
crochet or knit items that
are donated to various
charities, nursing homes,
hospice and the needy
throughout Warren County.
KnitWits, a group of mostly
senior women, have donated
thousands of items over their
25+ years of existence. They
meet every Tuesday from
9:30am to noon at the Catherine
Dickson
Hoffman
Library, located on Lambert
Road in Blairstown. Donations of yarn are always
needed and welcomed. For
more information, call Anne at
908-459-0453.

Adult Fiction: Hake, Kelly:

The bride of Chance; Ibrahim,
Laila: Yellow crocus; Kerr,
Phillip: Prague fatale; Levy,
Andrea: The long song;
Rosen, Renee: White collar
girl; Simsion, Graeme: The
Rosie effect; Spindler, Erica:
The Final Seven; Taber,
Gladys: The book of
Stillmeadow;
Stillmeadow
daybook; The Stillmeadow
road; Wiseman, Ellen: The

plum tree.
Adult Non Fiction: Boo,
Katherine: Behind the beautiful forevers; Garlin, Jeff: My
footprint carrying the weight
of the world; Grogan, John:
The longest trip home.
Junior Non Fiction: For
laughing outloud poems to
tickle your funnybone.
DVDs: Stuart Little; Stuart
Little 2; Stuart Little 3 call of
the wild.

By Brian McCloskey, Recovery Center Coordinator

No one gets into recovery by

accident. We used alcohol,
drugs or behaviors because
they made us feel better about
ourselves. After they stopped
working we kept using them
because we were physically
and emotionally addicted,
and because we didnt know
what else to do. Eventually
something happened that
brought us to a jumping-off
point, because we could no
longer handle the unmanage-

Dennis Budinich of Investors Bank and FTC Methods

Inc., a highly successful
professional development
and consulting firm, will
speak at the Greater Blairstown Business Association
Meet and Greet event on
Wednesday, April 20th from
6pm to 8pm at Daltons
Columbia Inn (31 Decatur
St, Columbia, NJ).
Budinich is a Nationally
recognized
entrepreneur
and business leader. He has
owned several successful
businesses, including a
gourmet bread bakery, an
auto paint supply company,
and a restaurant. He has also
excelled in the world of
financial sales where his
achievements carried him to
the levels of top producer, to
sales manager, to program
director. During his highenergy learning programs,
Dennis shares the information he acquired in the fields
of positive psychology and
self-science, as well as his
personal experiences as a
successful financial professional and entrepreneur.
For the last 32 years, the
Greater Blairstown Busi-

ability of our lives and the

drugs, alcohol, behaviors no
longer worked.
And thats where the experience, strength and hope of
others matter. In order for us to
believe in a program of recovery, we have to see that it
works. Listening to other
addicts tell what it was like,
what happened and what its
like today in recovery, tells us
that were not alone, and gives
us hope. We may not believe
that we can do it, but if we see
and hear that there are people

who felt the way we felt, who

had many of the same or
similar experiences, who
suffered the same shame, guilt
and despair, and that theyve
managed to get beyond all
that, turned their thinking
around and begun to live, then
just maybe we will begin to
believe that we can do it, too.
The Recovery Center Coordinators at A Clean Slate,
located at 100 S. 1st Street in
Bangor, PA, would be happy
to discuss this topic further, so
feel free to drop in!

ing activities and events that

build
a
strong
local
economy, showcase our
hometown
values
and
historical traditions, and
encourage community members to shop locally. As part
of that effort, the GBBA
hosts monthly networking
and business education
opportunities for its members and their guests.
To learn more about the
GBBA, or to become a
member,
please
email
shopGBBA@gmail.com or
visit www.shopGBBA.org.
ness Association has worked
to encourage and support
retail, professional and

non-profit businesses in the

Northern Warren County,
New Jersey area by promot-

Northampton Co. Detachment 298 Marine Corps

League Meeting: April 6th,
1900 hours. 1621 Lehigh St.,
Easton. All active duty &
honorably
discharged
Marines welcome! FMI,
email jimmineousmc@rcn.
com.
Bangor Girls Field Hockey
Fundraiser: April 7th,
11am-9pm. Broadway Pub,
Bangor. A percentage of
each lunch or dinner check
will be donated to the field
hockey team. Just mention
that you are there to help
support the Bangor field
hockey team.
Delaware-Lehigh Amateur
Radio Club Meeting: April
7th, 7:30pm. Bethlehem
Twp. Comm. Center, 2900
Farmersville Rd., Bethlehem.
Program: History of the
Radio
Corporation
of
America AB3RC. Hams
& other interested public
always welcome. FMI, visit
www.dlarc.org or call 610432-8286.
Chap. #14, Society PA
Archaeology: April 7th,
7pm. Palmer Twp. Memorial
Library, 1 Weller Place,
Easton. Program: Excavations of the Overpeck Site.
Bring artifacts for identification. Free. FMI, call 908750-4110.

Richmond Krusaderz 4 A
Kure's Annual Tricky
Tray: April 9th, 11am.
William Pensyl Social Hall,
Portland Hook & Ladder Co.
#1, Portland. Drawings at
1pm. Benefits American
Cancer Society, Slate Belt
Relay for Life. Relay is May
20th, 4pm-May 21st, 4pm.
Spaghetti Dinner, Tricky
Tray & Bake Sale Benefit
for Valarie Defilippis:
April 10th, noon-6pm.
Bangor VFW, 202 Veterans
Rd., Bangor. Advance tickets
$10; $12 at door. Tickets are
avail. at Detzis Tavern,
Wind Gap.
Our Lady of Victory
Church Hosts Inspirational
Speaker Steven McDonald:
April 10th, 2pm. Tannersville.
Slate Belt Heritage Center
Re-Opening Ceremonies:
April 14th, 7pm. Slate Belt
Heritage Center, 30 N. 1st
St., Bangor. FMI, call 610599-4993.
Slate Belt Photography
Club Meeting: April 14th,
7pm.
Trinity
Lutheran
Church, 4th & Broadway,
Bangor. New members
welcome.
FMI,
visit
facebook.com/groups/Slate
BeltPhotographers/.
Ackermanville
UMC
Pancake
&
Sausage
Supper: April 14th, 5pm-

7pm. 1410 Ackermanville

Rd., Bangor. Adults, $8;
children (10-4), $4. Take out
avail FMI, call 610-5887818.
UMC Rummage Sale: April
15th, 9am-2pm & April
16th, 8am-noon. 8538 Delaware Dr. (Rt. 611 & Five
Points
Richmond
Rd.),
Bangor. Fill-a-bag Saturday,
10am-noon.
Traditional
Spaghetti
Dinner: April 17th, noon5pm. Our lady of Victory
R.C. Church, Cherry Lane
Rd., Tannersville. FMI, call
570-629-4572.
Bangor High School Broadway Night: April 21st,
7:30pm. M. Craig Paine
Performing Arts Theater.
Salvation Army - Pen Argyl
Community Yard & Bake
Sale: April 23rd, 9am-1pm.
Space is limited. FMI or to
reserve your table space, call
610- 863-6677.
Footprints In The Sand
Relay Team, Relay For Life
8th Annual Golf Outing:
April 23rd, Noon. Shawnee
on the Delaware. $95 registration fee incl. golf cart,
greens fees, dinner buffet &
awards. Sign-in starts at
noon, shotgun start at 1pm
and dinner at 6pm. All
proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. FMI,
contact Donna at 610-5887786 or 610-417-5550.
Bangor High School Band
Boosters & the Washington
Twp. Vol. Fire Co. Pancake Breakfast: April 24th,

8am-noon. 920 Washington

Blvd., Bangor. All proceeds
benefit the BHS Band Boosters & the Washington Twp.
Vol. Fire Dept. Tickets $7,
avail. at the door, from band
students or the fire dept. FMI,
contact
Michelle
at
michellecollinsrma@yahoo.c
om or 336-812-3861.
Pen Argyl Alumni Asso.
Baskets, Bags & Cash
Bingo: April 24th, 11:30am.
Pen Argyl Comm. Center.
$20 in advance, $25 at the
door. Bingo starts at 1pm.
Refreshments avail. FMI or
tickets, contact Ann at 610863-6426
or
ehle.ann
@gmail.com.
Roseto
Helping
Hands
Cavatelli Dinner: April 30th,
5om-8pm. Columbia Fire
Co., Adults: $10, Children 10
& under: $5. Tickets are
avail. from members of the
Helping Hands and the fire
co.

NJ Audubon Greenwood
Gardens Field Trip: April
7th, 8am-11am. Greenwood
Gardens, 274 Old Short Hills
Rd., Short Hills. Registration
w/ Greenwood Gardens
reqd. FMI or to register, visit
greenwoodgardens.org
or
call 973-258-4026.
Fish & Chip Dinner: April
7th, 4pm-6:30pm. Broadway UMC, 2233 Rt. 57,
Broadway. Adults, $14; 12 &
under, $7. FMI, call 908689-6951.
Annual Spring Ladies Aid
Rummage Sale: April 8th,

9am-4pm. Yellow Frame

Pres. Church, Rt. 94 & 1
Yellow Frame Rd., Fredon.
FMI, call 973-383-5364 or
610-588-9166.
St. Joseph Regional School
Honoring Alumni Night:
April 9th, 6pm. Celebrating
60 years of loving & faithful
educational
community.
Country-Western
Casino
Night theme. All proceeds
support Catholic education at
St. Josephs School in
Newton, Sussex Co. FMI,
call 973-383-2909.
St. Jude Ladies Guild
Bingo Night: April 9th &
30th, 6:30pm. St. Jude
McNulty Hall. No one under
18 admitted. FMI, call Bev at
908-362-7393
Fish & Chips Dinner: April
14th, 5pm-7pm. Yellow
Frame Pres. Churh, 1 Yellow
Frame Rd., Newton. Adults,
$14; children 10 & under, $7.
Eat-in or take-out. Must
purchase tickets in advance.
FMI or tickets, call 973383-5701 or 973-579-0157.
Honoring the Late Area
Archaeologist
Robert
Kocher's Extensive Collection of Indian Artifacts:
April 16th, 10am-3pm.
Masonic Lodge 275, Hwy.
31, 1.4 mi. N. of Rt, 57. Free.
FMI, call 908-750-4110.
18th Annual Stateliner
Spring
Classic
5K
Run/Walk & Childrens
Fun Run: April 17th.
Phillipsburg High School,
Maloney
Stadium,
489
Hillcrest Blvd., Phillipsburg.
FMI, contact James at 908213-2404 or springclassic@
hotmail.com.
Pet Adoption Leagues 6th
Annual Pasta Dinner:
April 22nd, 5:30pm-8pm.
Panther Valley Ecumenical

Church, 1490 Rt. 517, Allamuchy. Adults, $12; kids

under 6, $6. If you cannot
attend, donations can be
made to: PAL, P.O. Box 206,
Hackettstown, NJ 07840.
FMI, visit www.palpets.org,
email info@palpets.org or
call 973-584-0095. 100% of
the proceeds go towards helping homeless animals in the
area.
Soroptimist International
Annual Tricky Tray Fundraiser: April 23rd, 6:30pm.
Independence Firehouse, 24
Cemetery Rd., Great Meadows. FMI, tickets & donation
opportunities, email sitricky
tray@gmail.com or call 201952-3732.
Yard Sale To Benefit Pet
Adoption League: April
23rd & 24th, 9am-3pm.
Willow Grove St., Hackettstown (across from the hospital). FMI, visit www.
palpets.org.
Paulinskil Restoration &
Dam Removal Open House:
April
25th,
7pm-9pm.
Knowlton Twp. Lions' Club,
505 Rt. 94, Columbia.
Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church Rummage Sale:
April 29th, 9am-3pm &
April
30th,
9am-1pm.
Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church, 1490 Rt. 517, Hackettstown. Donations may be
brought to the church April
25th-27th, 9am-2pm; &
Mondays & Tuesdays, 6pm8pm. Accepting all clothing,
HH
items,
glassware,
baskets, small appliances,
sporting goods, jewelry, &
seasonal items.
11th Hour Rescue Pierogie
Dinner:
April
30th,
5:30pm. 201 Howard Blvd.,
Mt. Arlington. FMI, visit
www.ehrdogs.org.

On March 29th, Pennsylvannia State Representative Joe

Emrick
(R-Mt.
Bethel)
applauded the Bangor Area
School District on being
nationally recognized by the
National Association of Music
Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for outstanding achievement in music education. The
district is one of 476 districts
nationwide to be listed among

the Best Communities for

Music Education (BCME).
With more than 13,000
schools districts in the country,
this distinction places Bangor
in the top three percent in the
nation, said Emrick. Thats
quite an achievement, and
something the teachers and
students in the schools music

programs should be very

proud of.
NAMM evaluated the school
districts based on elements
such as funding, staffing of
highly qualified teachers,
community support and levels
of participation. Designations
were made to those that
demonstrate an exceptionally

high commitment and access

to music education.
Bangor Area is among 62
Pennsylvania school districts
to receive the designation.
Questions about this or any
legislative issue should be
directed to Emricks district
office at 570-897-0401 or
610-746-5090.

Faith Christian School will

hold the schools third
Annual Faith Gala on Saturday, April 9th at 5pm at
Calvary Baptist Church in
Easton, PA.
The Faith Christian School
community along with Senator Mario Scavello looks
forward to celebrating 35
years of educating the next
generation of leadership with
our faithful supporters and to
commemorate this milestone
Faith Christian School will be
receiving
congressional
citations as part of this
encouraging evening.
Faith Gala 2016 will
celebrate 35 years of Faith
Christian School educating
kindergarten through 12th
grade students and raise
$115,000 to fund their scholarship program.
Join Faith Christain for this
catered fine dining experience, including your choice
of filet mignon, chicken
picatta or eggplant rollatini.
Hors doeuvres will begin at

5pm when doors open to view

the items available for the
silent auction and live
auction. They look forward to
an elegant evening of fun and
fellowship as they raise
$115,000 to fund scholarships
for qualified students to attend
Faith Christian School.
For this semiformal (black
tie optional) event, the doors
open at 5pm, with hors
doeuvres and the start of the
silent auction. As the night
progresses, there will be live
auction sessions; a fine dining
experience catered and music
performed by accomplished
alumni and friends of Faith
Christian School. Valet parking will also be available.
As part of the evening, the
school board will be presented
with Congressional Citations
recognizing its vital community history. Faith Christian
School, K-12 grades, serves
the Christian communities of
the Pocono Mountains, Slate
Belt, eastern New Jersey, and
the Lehigh Valley areas.

Children from eight school

districts and over 50 churches
comprise the diverse and
outstanding student body.
Auction catalogs will be
available for pickup at the
school office one week prior
to the event, or view online at
FaithGala.org. On the night of
the event, payment is
accepted in the form of cash,
check, credit card or PayPal.
Invite your friends, family
and neighbors.
Tickets are available for
purchase online for $50 per
person. Table sponsorships
are available; purchase a table
of eight for $400 for your
friends and family so you may
all be seated together. Tickets
can be purchased at faithgala.
org/tickets.html. For information on how to purchase
tickets, to donate an item or
become a sponsor while
helping fund our scholarship
program for local children,
call Ginny Jensen at 610588-3414 or send an email to
jensenv@fcslions.org.

My
five-year-old
son,
Sebastian, recently participated in his schools MathA-Thon to raise money for St.
Jude Childrens research
Hospital. Thanks to the
generosity of local business
owners and Slate Belt
residents, Sebastian raised
more than $200 for the
children of St. Jude. Sebastian would like to thank the

following sponsors for their

donations: Action Karate
Nazareth, Comunales Italian
Market, Dinkys Ice Cream
Parlor, Emmy Lous Ice
Cream Caf, Expressions
Thru Glass, On the Spot Dry
Cleaners, Stone Associates,
Wellcare Home Mobility,
Peggy Impeciati, Michael
Hunsicker, and Rob, Kayle
and Aiden Ealey. Because of
your support, St. Jude continues to improve the treatment
of childhood cancer and other

life-threatening diseases, and

no family ever pays St. Jude
for anything. For every child
treated at St. Jude, thousands
more are saved worldwide
through St. Jude discoveries.
Thank you again for sponsoring Sebastian and helping
him to raise money for the
children at St. Jude. Your
kindness and generosity are
greatly appreciated by so
many!
Thank you,
Sarah Loren

Leaders of the states

General Assembly gathered
Monday to honor the head
researcher and author of the
United Way ALICE Report,
Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., for
her work to shed light on the
1.2 million New Jersey families struggling daily to afford
the basics.
Speaker Vincent Prieto and
Assemblywoman
Valerie
Vainieri Huttle took the
opportunity of Womens
History Month to recognize
Hoopes, who testified last
month
during
the
legislatures
anti-poverty
hearings.
Hoopes
was
presented with a resolution
recognizing her commitment
to providing comprehensive,
objective data that can
inform policy discussions
around how to reduce the
barriers that keep residents
from achieving financial
stability. She was one of 10
influential women recognized on the Assembly floor.
Through work with United
Way of Northern New Jersey,
Hoopes developed a series of
new measurements which
reveal more than 40 percent
of the states households face
unenviable choices in order
to survive financially. The
measures uncovered there
are nearly 890,000 ALICE
(Asset Limited, Income
Constrained,
Employed)
families living paycheck to
paycheck in New Jersey,
close to three times the
official
poverty
rate.
Together with those represented by the federal poverty
rate, this research shows a
total of 1.2 million of the
states households are unable
to make ends meet.
This is a well-deserved
recognition for someone who
has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing policymakers with a true
picture of financial need in
our state, United Way CEO

John Franklin said. The

ALICE study provides a
deeper understanding of
financial insecurity, one that
has been understated and
obscured for too long by
misleading averages and
outdated poverty statistics.
This research in New Jersey
sparked a grassroots movement among United Ways
across the country, leading
Hoopes to be named national
director of the United Way
ALICE Project in 2015. By
the end of 2016, United Ways
in more than a dozen states
will be leading a nonpartisan,
national dialogue about the

importance and fragility of

the ALICE population.
I am honored to lend my
voice to represent the hardworking ALICEs in communities all across the state and
country, who go to work each
day like all of us, but cant
afford safe housing, quality
child care and preventative
health care, Hoopes said. I
hope
policymakers
will
consider the impact on
ALICE every time they
weigh
public
policy
decisions.
Prior to joining United Way,
Hoopes served as director of
the New Jersey DataBank at
Rutgers
University

Newarks School of Public

Affairs and Administration.
While at the DataBank,
Hoopes oversaw research
spanning 20 areas of public
policy. She has taught at
Columbia University in New
York and at Sussex and
Birmingham universities in
the United Kingdom. She has
a Ph.D. from the London
School of Economics, a
masters degree from the
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, and a
bachelors
degree
from
Wellesley
College.
Her
research has garnered state
and national media attention.

Dozens of law enforcement,

first responders, and Prevention and Health Partners from
throughout New Jersey came
together for a Drug Recognition Course led by the Drug
Monitoring Initiative (DMI)
out of the NJ Regional
Operations
Intelligence
Center (ROIC) on March
22nd at Centenary College in
Hackettstown.
Recognizing myriad of
issues surrounding drug use
and abuse in the state, this
course was intended to
update officials about current
trends,
programs,
and
solutions to the problem.
The event, which drew
about 100 participants from
throughout the state,covered
not only drug recognition,
but Narcan Administration
for EMS, Fentanyl 101 for
Police, Fire and EMS, the
Overdose Protection Act,
Heroin Strict Liability, and
recognition and response to
possible hazardous material
incidents.
The conference was sponsored by the Middle

Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement

Network
(MAGLOCLEN),
New
Jersey Regional Operations
Intelligence Center (ROIC),
New Jersey Department of
Health Office of Emergency
Medical Services, New
Jersey State Police Hazardous Materials Response Unit,
Warren County Prosecutors
Office, Family Guidance
Centers
Coalition
for
Healthy and Safe Communities and Centenary College.
Similar trainings have been

held in 25 other locations

around the state in the last
two years.
Among the guest speakers
were Det. I Brendan Liston
and
Det.
II
Thomas
Patimetha of the NJ State
Police, Terry Clancy of New
Jersey Department of Health,
Jim Doran of University
Hospital, SSG James Kube of
the NJ National Guard,
Michael De Marco from the
Passaic County Prosecutor's
Office and Mary Jo Harris,
from the Family Guidance
Centers
Coalition
for

Healthy and Safe Communities. Det. Teddy Garcia with

the
Warren
County
Prosecutor's Office provided
an overview of Warren
County drug trends and opening remarks.
This type of training brings
communities together to
address the issues of heroin
and opioid abuse that is now
a public health issue said
Mary Jo Harris. We were
happy to collaborate with a
number of state and county
agencies in providing the first
responders, treatment and
prevention service providers
as well as healthcare and
school staff, with this valuable information in recognizing and reporting incidents
involving
heroin
and
opiates.
For more information on
how to recognize the signs of
substance abuse, please
contact the Coalition for
Healthy and Safe Communities, a program of the Family
Guidance Center, at 908223-1985 or visit prevention
connectionsnj.org.

an effort to share what they

can with each other. The
church depends upon you and
your donations. Why hang on
to items that no longer fit or
arent being used but take up
valuable space in your already
overcrowded cabinets and
closets? Let someone else
enjoy them! Knowlton Community Thrift Store gladly
accepts your donations during
regular store hours. Please
think KUMC Community
Thrift Store this spring when
you do your spring-cleaning.
Stop in soon, say hello and
have a look around. You never
know what you will find!
Due to limited space and
health and safety regulations
they are only able to accept
clothing and housewares in
good, clean condition. Please
no stained, torn, mildewed or
outdated clothing or items that
are chipped, cracked or missing parts. They are also
unable to accept electronic

equipment, computers, printers, textbooks, encyclopedias,

furniture, infant or child car
seats and cribs. More detailed
information about donations is
posted at the store. If you
have any questions about the
thrift store please contact us
during store hours. The store
is open Thursday, Friday and
Saturday from 10am to 2pm
and Friday evenings from
4pm to 7pm.
Knowlton United Methodist
Church also sponsors a Used
Medical Equipment Ministry
and loans medical equipment
free of charge for short term or
extended use to those in our
community. If you would like
to inquire about borrowing an
item or if you have medical
equipment in good condition
that you would like to donate
to the ministry, please contact
the church office at 908-4964313 and leave a message
with your name and phone
number. Someone will return
your call to make arrangements. The medical ministry
is always in need of wheelchairs, commodes and shower
chairs and would appreciate
your donations.

The Mt. Pocono Rotary will

sponsor its 21st Annual
Community Aviation Day
Fly-In Drive-In Breakfast on
Sunday, May 29th from 8am
to 2pm with this years major
proceeds benefitting the
Make A Wish Foundation.
For the past 21 years the
event has been held rain or
shine at Pocono Mountains
Airport on Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.
We invite the community
to come out and have a great
breakfast, see the car and
aircraft displays, enjoy the
kids attractions and join us as
we pay tribute to our Coun-

try and brave military, Vern

Moyer, Event Co-Chair said.
Tickets for the all-you-caneat breakfast are $10 for
adults and $6 for children 12
and under. The days activities include free airplane
rides for children ages eight
to 17 donated by the Young
Eagles EAA program, the
presenting of the colors and
American flag parachute
demonstration,
aircraft,
antique cars and military
equipment displays, a raffle,
the Pocono Raceway pace
car, childrens activities and
a Memorial Day Ceremony.
Admission and parking are

free.
This event was created
over 20 years ago to give
people the chance to come to
the airport, see the airplanes,
experience helicopter and
airplane rides, and generally
find out about how to get
youth involved with aviation. It has grown to be one
of the Mt. Pocono Rotarys
largest annual fundraisers
with over $120,000 raised
that was distributed to nonprofit and deserving causes
throughout the community,
Moyer said. This year we
will once again contribute to
The Make-A-Wish America
to fulfill wishes for gravely
ill children from Monroe
County.
Tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters
advance the Make-A-Wish
vision to grant the wish of

every child diagnosed with a

life-threatening
medical
condition. In the United
States and its territories, on
average, a wish is granted
every 37 minutes. The organization operates under the
premise that a wish experience can be a game-changer.
This one belief guides them
and inspires them to grant
wishes that change the lives
of the kids every day.
We are still offering sponsorships and welcome area
businesses to join us with
raising money for Make-AWish, Moyer said.
Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport is located on Rt.
611 north of Mt. Pocono, PA.
The event is held rain or
shine. Advance tickets can
be purchased at the airport.
For information call 570839-7161.

State Senator Mario Scavello will host a free Blood

Pressure
Screening
on
Monday, April 18th from
10am to 1pm at his Pen Argyl
District Office (2 North
Robinson Avenue, in Pen
Argyl, PA). The screening is
hosted in partnership with St.
Lukes University Health
Network.
This free blood pressure
screening is the second event
in my ongoing Healthy
Living Series, Senator
Scavello said. If you or
someone you know may be at
risk for high blood pressure, I
encourage you to please
consider taking this opportunity to get screened.
Tracking
ones
blood
pressure is one of the most
important preventative health
measures for adults, beginning at age 18. High blood
pressure typically does not

show symptoms, so it cannot

be detected without being
measured.
It
greatly
increases ones risk of heart
disease and stroke.
Having
ones
blood
pressure tested is the first
step to identifying any
potential symptoms and
working toward living a
longer, healthier life.
To make an appointment
for your free blood pressure
screening, please call Senator Scavellos Pen Argyl
District Office at 610-8631200.
State Senator Mario Scavello represents the 40th
Senatorial District, which
includes portions of Monroe
and Northampton Counties.
To find out more information
regarding this event or any
state-related issue, visit
marioscavello.com or email
mscavello@pasen.gov.

NORWESCAP Child and

Family Resource Services
(CFRS) in Sussex County,
NJ recently received a
$20,000, two-year grant
from the Atlantic Health
System through the New
Jersey Healthy Communities
Network. The grant will
support environmental and
policy change initiatives to
support healthy eating and
active living.
Sharon Giacchino, Program
Director,
NORWESCAP
CFRS, said the grant helps
support our goal of improving childhood health by
advancing healthy lifestyles
for
children,
childcare
providers, and families in
Sussex County. We want to

help providers implement the

new physical activity and
nutrition
requirements
recommended in Grow NJ
Kids, New Jerseys quality
rating improvement system.
We really appreciate the
support from the New Jersey
Healthy
Communities
Network and our collaborating funder Atlantic Health
System, said Mary Schott a
Child Care Specialist of
NORWESCAP CFRS. This
grant will allow us to provide
incentives to child care
centers that will allow them
to create or refurbish
vegetable
gardens
and
purchase physical activity
equipment that promotes
whole body development in

young children. We will

meet with focus groups, hold
conferences, and provide
information and tools to help
childcare providers increase
childrens daily physical
activity.
We are even
collaborating with local
farmers to create a delivery
system where parents and
staff can order fresh, locally
grown produce. We are
excited to be part of the
network of grantees and
share our learnings and
challenges with others.
Since its inception in 2013,
the signature community
grants program of New
Jersey Healthy Communities
Network has awarded over
$1.86 million in grants. This

year, the Network awarded

$860,000 to 43 organizations.
NORWESCAPs mission is
to improve the lives of low
income individuals and
families in need in Northwest New Jersey primarily
by offering, referring or
collaborating with others to
provide programs and education which help foster selfsufficiency. To learn more,
visit norwescap.org or call
973-383-3461.

The Sussex County affiliate

of the National Alliance on
Mental Illness (NAMI) will
offer the "NAMI Basics"
course in partnership with
Family
Partners
of
Morris/Sussex on Saturday
mornings beginning April
16th. NAMI Basics is a free
six-session
course
for
parents/guardians
of
children and teens with emotional, behavioral or mental
health challenges.
The
course will be held Satur-

Ciao Amici,
With April upon us it
reminds me when I was
younger and rain would put a
damper on playing outside.
Not to worry; Grandpop
would put us on the back
pouch, which was open so

days, 9:30am to noon, April

16th to May 21st, at Family
Partners of Morris/Sussex,
67 Spring Street, in Newton,
NJ.
Parents who have experienced mental health and
behavioral challenges in
their own children will teach
the course. The comprehensive curriculum covers
Attention Deficit Disorder,
Major Depression, Bipolar
Disorder, Conduct Disorder,
Oppositional Defiant Disor-

der, Anxiety Disorders,

Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder, and Childhood
Schizophrenia.
Course participants will
gain empathy and insight
into the subjective experience of the child living with
mental health and behavioral
challenges. As caregivers,
they will learn more effective listening, communication and problem-solving
skills. Acknowledgment of
the stresses and strains on

we could hear the weather.

Like many of you who new
their grandparents when you
were young, they were larger
then life; they were our
superheros. I am not sure if
growing up during
the
depression
strengthened
their will to achive or if it
was just perseverance. One
thing for sure, they succeded.
Grandopop loved to sing to
us and I remember him
singing this song to us in his
best Al Jolson imitation. It
still picks me up to this day...
Life is not a highway strewn
with flowers,
Still it holds a goodly share
of bliss,
When the sun gives way to
April showers,
Here is the point you should
never miss.
Though April showers may
come your way,
They bring the flowers that
bloom in May.
So if it's raining, have no
regrets,
Because it isn't raining rain,
you know, (It's raining
violets,)
And where you see clouds
upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of
daffodils,

So keep on looking for a

blue bird, And list'ning for
his song,
Whenever April showers
come along.
And where you see clouds
upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of
daffodils,
So keep on looking for a
blue bird, And list'ning for
his song,
Whenever April showers
come along.
Music written by Louis
Silvers and lyrics by B. G. De
Sylva
Con cordiali saluti, Joe
Growing up in the Butcher
Shop, is available at the
shop or on our web page. To
receive menu specials and
our newsletter, join our mailing list at www.JDeFranco
And Daughters.com, click on
mailing list and enter your
email. Send your Roseto
stories, recipes and comments
to
portipasto
@epix.net or call 610-5886991. J. DeFranco and
Daughters is located at 2173
W. Bangor Rd. in Bangor,
PA. Store hours are 7am to
7pm, seven days a week, with
catering available anytime or
by appointment.

the
family,
including
siblings, will be an important
component of the course.
Current research related to
the biology of mental health
challenges is covered in the
course, along with how to
get an accurate diagnosis for
a child. Treatment options
are discussed, including how
medications work and their
pros and cons in the treatment of children. Families
will learn how to find
supports and services within
the school system and the
community.
A theme of the NAMI
Basics course is that No one
should have to face this
journey alone! For more
information, or to register
for the course, call 973-2140632 or email nami.sussex
@gmail.com. Class size is
limited to 15. Interested
parents/guardians are urged
to register as soon as
possible. It may be possible
to arrange for childcare upon
request.

One of the fun things about

veterinary medicine is the
variety of patients we get a
chance to see. While the bulk
of our practice is dogs and
cats, Blairstown Animal
Hospital welcomes almost
any type of pet from reptiles
and birds to rabbits, guinea
pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats,
ferrets and the occasional
pot-bellied pig. We will
spend the next few columns
examining some of these
species a little more.
Our first popular pet is the
rabbit. Rabbits are not
rodents but are rather in a
group called lagomorphs.
They are very similar to
rodents in that their teeth
continue to growth throughout their lifetime but unlike
rodents, they actually have a
double set of upper incisors,
with the second pair located
right behind the first. Rabbits
can make excellent pets, but
do require some specialized
care.
Being herbivores, they need
a good supply of greenscarrots with the tops, green
leafy lettuce, kale, dandelion,
and the occasional apple are
all great choices. It is also
very important to provide
grass hay which aides in

digestion and helps them

pass the copious amounts of
hair they consume while
grooming. It is important that
the hair move through the
digestive tracts because
rabbits cannot vomit it up
and it is possible for them to
become obstructed by a
hairball. In addition to hay,
giving fresh pineapple juice a
couple days a week helps to
dissolve the matrix holding
the hair together, thus helping it to pass. Signs of a
hairball include loss of appetite, lethargy and few feces
being passed.
Because their teeth grow
continuously, if they do not
wear down properly, they can
overgrow, causing pain and
inability to eat. These poor
bunnies will often drool
excessively as well. When
the incisors are overgrown,
this is fairly easy to see, but
sometimes the molars are
involved and they are much
more difficult to visualize.
The treatment is to trim their
teeth back as needed.
Skin issues can occur in
rabbits and many are caused
by various bugs. Ear mites,
cheyletiella mites (known as
walking dandruff because
they cause extreme flakiness

of the skin), lice and fleas can

all affect rabbits. It is important to note that fipronyl, the
active ingredient in Frontline
and many over-the-counter
topicals, is not safe for
rabbits and must not be used
on them.
Female rabbits are very
prone to getting uterine
cancer. The first sign is
usually a bloody discharge.
Getting them spayed will
prevent this from happening.
Male rabbits can become
quite territorial and may start
spraying, much like cats can.
Neutering them will help
control this behavior.
Rabbits can also become
overweight, especially if they
are fed a lot of pellets, and
can suffer from bumblefoot,
which are painful sores on
the bottoms of the back legs.
Weight loss, deep bedding
and bandaging are needed to
reverse this condition.
There are no routine vaccinations recommended for pet
rabbits, but it is certainly a
good idea to bring your
bunny in periodically for an
exam and to answer any
questions you may have
about his care. We would be
happy to see your pet
anytime.

Many Americans anticipate

Social Security will help fund
their retirement lifestyle.
However, choosing when to
claim may have implications
on how much your monthly
benefit will be. This is
particularly true for married
couples. Having a claiming
strategy can assure you claim
the benefit thats best for you.
Earlier may not be better
Individuals can begin claiming Social Security benefits as
early as age 62 or as late as 70.
To qualify for what is considered the full benefit
amount, baby boomers need
to be at least 66 (even older
for those born in 1955 or
later). However, you earn a
higher monthly benefit the
longer you delay.
To determine when to start
benefits consider:

Longer life expectancies. Social Security pays

benefits no matter how long
you live, but personal savings
could be strained if you spend
decades in retirement.

Earnings limits that

apply if you continue to work.
If you receive Social Security
prior to age 66 while working,

earnings from wages might

reduce the benefits you can
keep at that time.

Other assets you have

available to fill any income
gaps before you begin collecting Social Security. This
includes savings and wages
earned from work. If you are
lacking other funding sources,
you may need to begin
collecting Social Security
earlier to meet lifestyle
expenses.
Spouses should plan together
For married couples, each
spouse who is eligible for
benefits can choose when
they want to begin collecting
Social Security. Generally
speaking, the higher income

earner will likely receive a

higher
Social
Security
benefit, and should delay
claiming benefits as long as
possible. This is because if
that person passes away, the
surviving spouse can claim
the deceased spouses higher
benefit in place of his or her
own. A person reaching full
retirement age can choose to
file and suspend, a way of
informing Social Security that
you are able to claim benefits,
but choose not to until a later
date.
For a time, the law allowed
one spouse to file and suspend
benefits while a second
spouse could begin collecting
a spousal benefit. The second

spouse could also implement

a strategy known as a
restricted
application,
delaying his or her own
benefits until later in life, but
in the meantime collecting the
spousal benefit. Later, the
second spouse could choose
to collect a higher, personal
benefit in place of the spousal
benefit.
Important changes were
implemented in 2015 that
affect these strategies. When a
person born after April 30,
1950 chooses to file and
suspend (delaying their own
benefits), the spouse will be
restricted from collecting
spousal benefits until the
primary earner begins to

collect as well. The new law

will also do away with the
ability of the second spouse
to file a restricted application if they were born after
January 1, 1954, so this
person must choose either a
benefit based on his or her
own earnings or a spousal

benefit, but not a combination

of both.
It is also critical to determine
how Social Security benefits
fit into your overall retirement
income strategy. Be sure to
integrate
your
timing
decisions with other aspects
of your retirement plan.

(NAPSI)Whether
your
to-do list is getting you
down or gearing you up for
do-it-yourself fun, you want
to be sure you have the right
equipment to minimize the
time, money and elbow
grease you have to expend.
Therefore, you should look
for products that can help
make lawn care, gardening,
home improvement and
other DIY projects easier to
accomplish. For example,
instead of laboring to push
an aerator around your lawn,
consider a liquid dethatcher.
You apply the dethatcher
using a sprayer on the end of
the garden hose and the
formula works to aerate soil
and break up the layer of
thatch that hinders grass
growth.
Renting tools or equipment
you use occasionally can
save you time and money.
Many home improvement
stores now offer a wide
range of tools for rent, from
bench saws and floor sand-

ers to augers and overseeders.

By renting, you avoid storage
issues and maintenance
chores.
One piece of equipment a
DIYer can use all year round
is an off-road vehicle. By
having it for heavy jobs, you
can avoid the expense of
hiring additional workers for
projects such as:
Removing dead branches
and towing out bushes and

trees. With a winch on the

front of the vehicle or a tow
strap at the rear, you can pull
out old brush more easily.
Smoothing out fresh dirt
with a plow. Raking by hand
is messy and takes a lot of
time. Instead, hook up a plow
to your off-road vehicle and
gently smooth out the dirt. If
the dirt is already level, attach
a pull-behind rake to the
vehicle to get set for planting

or seeding.
Carting lumber. You take
fewer trips and save yourself
from muscle aches and splinters. You can also reduce the
number of helpers you need
for the project.
If you have a boat dock, use
your off-road vehicle to tow it
into the water.
Hauling rocks or mulch
around. You may be able to
get more done with a versatile
Polaris RANGER side-byside. These have a rear dump
box so you can move and
distribute materials in different garden beds or around all
your trees.
Now for the best part: After
all the hard work, take your
vehicle out on the trail for a
bit of fun. The two-passenger
RANGER side-by-sides fit
into the bed of most full-sized
pickups, making it easy for
you and a companion to take a
break from the work and hit
the trails.
For further facts and tips, visit
polaris.com/en-us/ranger-utv.

Hello, fellow readers!

Im not quite sure what
inspired me to start collecting coffee grounds from the
pods I once was resistant to
use. Coffee grounds are
terrific for your compost
pile, but I dont have one
because of our resident bear.
A while back I considered
worm composting indoors
but my stomach grew
queasy when I learned about
separating the worms from
their castings.
The pod coffee machine
moved in with Curt and I
must say, its super convenient. It came at the peak of
the rant about coffee pods
though. You may recall the
You Tube video with the
scary attack of a sci-fi creature bulleting k-cups. It ends
with Kill the K-cup before
they kill our planet. At the
time, disposed cups in our
landfills could circle our
planet 10.5 times. Whoa!
Thankfully now there are
earth friendly alternatives.
San Francisco Bays Fog
Chaser has become our brew
of choice. The name touts its

wake-up benefits, but more

important is the lid and ring
of each pod are compostable. And, the mesh
filter is made of food-grade
material with a compostable
mesh version coming soon.
Lucille of Bangor, PA, wrote
in that her Nikko Blue
Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, bloom pink and
she heard if she starts in
spring with coffee grounds
around her plants, theyll be
blue by bloom time.
Blue flowers on hydrangea
are a result of sufficient
aluminum in the soil. Its
true that acidic soil helps
make aluminum more available to plants, but most of
the acidity is flushed out of
used coffee grounds. In fact,
they are close to neutral in
pH. Youd be better off
pouring
cooled
coffee
around your plants to
increase acidity. That is, if it
werent so pricey at about
forty cents a pod when you
buy in bulk. Maybe I need a
12-step program
To encourage blue flowers
on your hydrangea, try
liquid aluminum sulfate also
known
as
Hydrangea
Bluing and keep the coffee
to yourself, while putting the
grounds to good use.
According to Oregon State
University
Extension
Service, you can spread
coffee grounds directly on
soil then cover them with
leaves, compost or bark
mulch before lightly digging
them in. If left on top, theyll
repel water when they dry
out. Or, add grounds to your
compost pile by layering 1/3
leaves, 1/3 fresh grass
clippings and 1/3 coffee
grounds. Garden dilemmas?
Askmarystone.com

St. Luke's University

Health Network hosted the
2016 Hospital and HealthSystem Association of
Pennsylvanias
(HAP)

regional meeting on April

1st at the Networks Anderson Campus in Bethlehem
Township, PA.
HAP regional meetings

provide an opportunity for

local legislators to discuss
the hospital communities
priorities,
opportunities,
and concerns. Legislators
and hospital administration
at the meeting were part of
a hands-on telemedicine
demonstration
between
Robert Dolansky Jr., DO,
Director of St. Luke's Care
Anywhere and Ray Midlam,
St. Lukes Vice President of
Network Development.
The group of lawmakers
and hospital managers
discussed telemedicine and
the support of telemedicine
payment parity legislation
which that would ensure
that all payors reimburse
hospitals
for
services
provided through telemedicine the same way they
would for an in-person
visit.