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PROMOTING AWARENESS, ARTS, CULTURE AND EDUCATION IN NORTH-CENTRAL PA
One of our readers, who doesn’t have ready access to a computer, objected that most of the information in our Take Action section was lists of web sites. It was an important reminder to me that whenever possible we need to list phone numbers or other non-Internet based contact information, and we strive to do…
Dear Editor, I found your paper interesting but am skeptical of your motives. This is the first issue I have read, and it is clear to me what you are against. But what are you for? What would be a good way to make a living and have a vibrant local economy? Would it be…
Up until last October, my wife and I lived in the Mid-Hudson Valley in New York, a half hour from Woodstock, possibly best known for Bob Dylan and having the 1969 music concert named after it. This part of the Mid-Hudson Valley is a beautiful area with many apple orchards, corn fields, wineries, and the…
To The Editor, I’ve been watching the nastiness of the Tea Party for two years and wanted to do something to gather together people who will support a more positive and respectful kind of civic action. So when MoveOn started a new program called “The American Dream”, I hosted one of 1500 house meetings held…
Amount of Pennsylvania’s budget surplus at the end of fiscal 2010-11 … $785.5 millionAmount of surplus predicted by Governor Corbett’s March budget proposal … $78 millionAmount of a year-end surplus available by law for appropriation in the next fiscal year … 75%Average monthly enrollment in Medical Assistance (MA, or Medicaid) in fiscal 2010-11 … 2,265,543Medical…
We are all feeling the effects of the economy. Donations to all non-profits are on the decline. And unfortunately, AIDS Resource, the area’s only agency dedicated to eradicating the spread of HIV and STDs, is dealing with an unprecedented budget cut, which is leading to cuts in preventive services. Not only does AIDS Resource have…
Participate in Shale Gas Outrage, a rally and conference to be held September 7 and 8, in Philadelphia. Go to shalegasoutrage.org or call (215) 391-1630.
Most political parties/ individual candidates have internships available. Interns learn the skills they need to go on to a career in politics, government, or elected offi ce. They get hands-on experience in all aspects of politics: how to raise the funds to run an organization, how to communicate with the press and voters, how to…
SRBC seeks public comment on Chesapeake’s application. Anyone who lives, vacations, and/or travels along Route 87 and the Loyalsock, plus others concerned about the Commonwealth’s waterways and the Susquehanna Watershed, can leave comments on the SRBC site at srbc.net. The application can be viewed on www.srbc.net via the “Water Resources Portal.” Click “search for projects,”…
Volunteer at one of these activities sponsored by the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership: Celebrate Our River Day Saturday, July 23, 3-8pm Tunkhannock Nature and Arts Festival Saturday, July 30, 9am-4pm Ned Smith Nature Center & MYO Park, Millersburg 5th Pine Creek to Jersey Shore Cleanup Saturday, August 13, 8:45am-12:45pm Jersey Shore The Sunbury River Festival August…
An application the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) is reviewing from Chesapeake Energy would have life-changing consequences for people in the Loyalsock Valley, in both Lycoming and Sullivan Counties. Chesapeake proposes to build a frack water filling station just off Route 87 at the edge of Hillsgrove and has applied to SRBC to withdraw 720,000…
At their February 23 meeting, the Loyalsock Township School Board unanimously approved a random drug testing policy for grades six through 12. The policy requires students and parents to consent to random testing if the students wish to participate in extracurricular activities, play sports, or drive to school. Members of the community have met the…
The Newberry Community Partnership (NCP) will be sponsoring a Flea Market in Newberry Park on Saturday,September 17th 8 am to 2 pm [Rain Date: the following Saturday, Sept. 24th—same time & place.] Sellers can bring their own tables or sell from their trunk, van or truck. A limited number of tables are available for rent.…
As of July 27, it cost $252 to book a one-way flight from Williamsport through Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida, and $446 to book just from Williamsport to Philadelphia (through Kayak.com). Go figure. Cheaper flights exist for non-hub airports than airports dominated by a single carrier. So you can save money by booking a long-distance flight…
Tom Corbett’s first executive order after becoming Governor of Pennsylvania was to create the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission. Its mission, to be completed in 120 days, was to make recommendations concerning “Efforts necessary to promote the effi cient, environmentally sound and cost-effective development of Marcellus Shale and other unconventional natural gas resources.” The Williamsport Guardian…
If you have health insurance—or used to have it before it got too expensive—you’re familiar with the annual letter telling you how much your premiums are going up next year. Not only that, but your co-pays are doubling, or tripling. Plus, your new, more costly plan has even less coverage than the old one. The…
There is a new player in the revitalization of Williamsport’s downtown—the Grey Art Gallery, located at 140 West Fourth Street next to the venerable Plankenhorn Stationery shop. The gallery is the brainchild of owners Casey Gleghorn and John Yogodzinski, who believe that downtown is ready for a true contemporary art gallery. “There isn’t another for…
Downtown WilliamsportWednesday, Aug. 17Festivities start at 4 pm, parade steps off at 6 pm 7th Annual Grand Slam Parade on Millionaires’ Row and in downtown sections of Williamsport. This parade is our community’s way of welcoming the world to Williamsport as we host the 2011 Little League World Series. It is “Americana” at its best,…
Pajama Factory Studio #48 Saturday, Aug. 13 Children’s morning workshop, ages 6-13: 9-11:30 am ($20, materials included) Adult evening workshop: 6-9:30 pm ($30, materials included) Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and the founder of the school of painting known as the Vienna Sezession. Klimt’s early work was rather…
Saturday, Sept. 17 at 5 pm This event celebrates local talent from our great city and surrounding areas and provides entertainment for the whole family. Expect to see the best of our community’s singers, dancers, gymnasts, and instrumentalists.
The Gallery at Pennsylvania College of Technology Aug. 26–Sept. 28 Meet the Artist Reception: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 4:30 – 6:30 pm, gallery talk begins at 5:30 pm This exhibition of recent paintings, drawings, and three-dimensional constructions is intended to engage the viewer, thereby creating a conscious and notable viewing experience. The work accomplishes this in…
In October of 2010, my husband David DeFebo and I left our home in Williamsport to embark on a 13-month national peace walk. We were inspired by the calling to walk our talk, reaching out to what Martin Luther King, Jr., called “the beloved community.” The idea for the 13 Moon Walk 4 Peace was…
Summer is not my favorite. It is sticky, and finding things to do so my kid won’t be utterly bored and sedentary feels like running a marathon must. But summer fare is tops. Some days, we cook three meals on the grill. And the most delightful thing about summer is the local produce. My partner…
One usually thinks of comedians as relatively stationary. It’s called standup, after all. But two recent films reveal what happens when funny men take their humor on the road. You’ve probably heard of this first guy and his road trip. Remember Conan O’Brien? Last summer, after his heavily publicized dispute and parting with NBC, he…
The End of Country by Seamus McGraw is the true story of the Marcellus Shale development in and around Dimock, Pennsylvania. McGraw grew up on a rocky hillside farm where his mother still lives. When she was approached by gas company front men to lease the drilling rights to the gas company, she asked her…
I have been getting up bright and early a few mornings a week to learn the Yiddishized version of study with the Rabbi. This enables me to flip between Fox News and MSNBC at an early hour before the news gets too stale. When I tuned in one Friday morning, I saw President Obama talking…
If the mention of El Salvador conjures up any images at all in your mind, I’m guessing they involve civil war, massacres, and people “being disappeared.” But two years ago, in democratic elections (after a Peace Accord in 1992 and then gradual gains through elections as the guerrilla force transformed itself into a political party),…
Ecuador has seven types of corn. On some level I knew this, because I’ve been eating quite a lot of it, but I didn’t actually find this out for sure until today, when my host brother confirmed the contents of the special drink my host mom is making for breakfast tomorrow. I’m not a particular…
PISCES—You’ve been hoping for a raise this month, but you have about as much chance of getting one as the taxpayers of Williamsport have of NOT paying more for the Kohl’s project. Sorry. ARIES—If you continue to explore your ancestry, you will discover some very unsavory facts about your bloodline. In this case, ignorance is…
Things have changed since I was in school. When I went back to school in the fall, I didn’t need much, just some new clothes (which quickly became “old” clothes after I rolled in the dirt a few times while playing kickball), a new pair of sneakers (black Converse high-tops, of course) and, maybe, a…
WXPI Williamsport Community, 88.5 on the FM dial, now has varied programming that includes music and talk, local and national shows. The schedule below should be good for the next couple of months, but the station is constantly evolving as the all-volunteer staff reach out to the community for suggestions and preferences. Local interview shows…
SIGN THE PETITION: Lower Health Insurance Rates Now! We the undersigned petition Insurance Commissioner Consedine to hold public hearings to ensure that insurance companies are not wasting our money and that all insurance companies are following the new health care law and spending at least 80% of health care premiums on health care. Mail this…