Wayne Memorial Hospital’s Home Health Department and the Area Agency on Aging in Pike County are postponing Pike’s first seasonal flu clinic scheduled for this Thursday, October 22, due to a delay in shipments of the vaccine. A second clinic, scheduled for November 6 is expected to take place as planned at the Blooming Grove Center, Route 739, Lords Valley.
Wayne Memorial Home Health administrators say the interest in seasonal flu vaccinations this year in Wayne County “appeared to be higher than usual,” but, at the same time, their orders for flu vaccine from suppliers fell short. Clinics in Wayne County were threatened with postponement, but an unexpected source of flu doses was acquired from a local college. Most of Wayne County’s clinics are expected to continue as long as the supply lasts.
People interested in getting the seasonal flu shot are advised to check with their Area Agency on Aging closer to the date to be sure it’s still happening. The Pike County Area Agency on Aging can be reached at (570) 775-5550 and Wayne County at (570) 253-4262.
October 20, 2009 | Posted in
Health |
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President Edna Gosselin was pleased to announce that the group is moving to the Riverview Inn located on Shay Lane in Matamoras just down the road from Home Depot. The meetings will still be on the third Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m.
At our September meeting activities chairman, Martyn Freed gave out the list for the 2010 trips. The Hawaiian Day luncheon was enjoyed by all who attended. The Elvis impersonator was terrific. Don’t forget the Holiday party at Mount Haven on December 4 and the New Years Eve party at LeNeve on December 31.
The guest speaker, pictured above, was Bob Goldsack, president of Taxpayers United. He spoke about the “Homestead Act”, a tax rebate program for homeowners. Mr. Goldsack brought applications with him and helped those who had not yet filed.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 20 at 1 p.m. at the Riverview Inn. Guests are always welcome.
October 15, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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MILFORD – Republicans still have the edge in Pike County, according to the latest voter registration numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of State.
October 5 was the deadline to register to vote in the November 3 general election. The updated tally for Pike is 46,692 registered voters as follows: 20,273 Republicans, 17,434 Democrats and 251 Libertarians. There are 5,510 registered under other political parties and 3,224 with no affiliation.
In Wayne County, there are 31,752 registered voters as follows: 16,874 Republicans, 10,593 Democrats, 125 Libertarians, 887 of other parties and 3,273 with no affiliation.
In Monroe County, there are 115,714 registered voters as follows: 55,029 Democrats, 38,885 Republicans, 679 Libertarians, 12,612 of other parties and 8,509 with no affiliation.
October 15, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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HARRISBURG – Hundreds of Pennsylvania families who are struggling financially will receive critical financial and housing assistance thanks to $22 million in new federal stimulus funds.
The federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program funds for Pennsylvania include more than $20 million that will go to 63 counties according to a base grant amount and a “need factor” based upon demographic data.
Pike County will get $182,636; Wayne $184,805; and Monroe $516,137.
“The national economic downturn has caused a significant number of people and families, through no fault of their own, to become homeless or nearly homeless,” said Governor Ed Rendell. “These funds could not have come at a better time. They’ll boost county and local efforts to help those teetering on the edge of homelessness and provide assistance to those who are homeless.”
The stimulus funds will provide financial assistance and other services intended to help people and families find stable housing, Governor Rendell said. These services include short- and medium-term rental assistance, help with costs associated with moving into permanent housing, intensive case management, as well as relocation and stabilization services.
September 25, 2009 | Posted in
State |
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Geologists Nicole Ortiz and Chris Colabaugh went fossil hunting this week as interns with the National Park Service.
By Susan Koomar
PIKE COUNTY – The hunt for rock stars here has nothing to do with trendy hangouts in Milford or fancy resorts featuring spa treatments.
Two geologists spent a few hours this week digging through chunks of gray shale by hand, seeking ancient treasures. The fossil finders were finishing a summer internship with the National Park Service in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. They called the project “paleo-salvage.”
“We don’t want anything of scientific value to be ruined,” said Nicole Ortiz, 23, of California.
Ortiz and Chris Colabaugh, 24, of New Jersey, cleared a buffer of about 12 inches from a roadside rock slide – enough to keep some fossils from being washed onto the road or slammed by snow plows in coming months. It’s one of the most fossil-rich spots in the area.
“There’s a lot of material here so it’s worth looking,” said Ortiz.
The location is not identified in this story because fossil hunting and rock collecting in the park are strictly prohibited. Violators will be cited.
The rock slide was likely hastened by heavy rains this summer. Water makes the outcrops heavier and less stable, said Colabaugh.
The pair found about 10 “worthwhile” pieces providing a glimpse into life in Pike County about 350 million years ago. Fossils discovered included fish scales and tiny clam shells smaller than a fingernail.
“I just like thinking about the past. This was millions of years ago,” said Ortiz.
This work was far from her most exciting assignment. She made replicas of mammoth bones and teeth at a prehistoric site in South Dakota, and gave some of the items to her mom’s pre-school class for a hands-on science lesson.
“A juvenile mammoth tooth is about a foot long,” said Ortiz.
Colabaugh spent some of his time here working on a guide to the geology of the Delaware River. The guide will now go through an editing process before it’s available for public distribution.
September 24, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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These clean, accessible trails cover miles of Delaware State Forest in southern Pike County. (Photo by Susan Koomar)
By Susan Koomar
Part of an occasional series on trails in Pike County and the Poconos
Tip: Sneakers won’t suffice. Muddy and rocky areas require sturdy hiking boots.
Warning: Goldenrod is waist high or taller in some spots at this time of the year.
Thunder Swamp doesn’t offer quite the drama its name may suggest, but there is plenty of good hiking in this section of Delaware State Forest.
Hikers will find a parking lot along Route 402 about eight miles south of Porters Lake. The trail begins at the north end of the lot.
The trail slogs through some mushy wetlands after you hike along a rocky path for about 15 minutes. There were several cars in the parking lot on a recent Sunday morning, but the woods were quiet and the trail was blessedly free of beer cans and candy wrappers.
The main trail, marked with orange blazes, brings you to a sign that offers Saw Creek bridge a half mile to your left or Route 402 less than a mile to your right. A friend and I headed for the bridge. The trail has several easy small stream crossings and brings you to some broad flat rocks that make for a good campsite. We caught lovely views of Saw Creek but had a tricky time actually finding the wood bridge that spans it. Turns out there is a steep rocky descent to the bridge.
On our way back, we decided to take the red-blaze trail to Route 402 hoping it would loop back to the parking lot. That section of trail is a forestry road, broad and easy to navigate, offering a pleasant mix of shady woods and sunny meadows. The trail took us back to 402 less than a mile south of the parking lot. We walked along the road to our destination, dismayed at the speeding traffic loath to slow down even slightly for pedestrians on a narrow shoulder choked with weeds. Hike time: about two hours.
Expect to maneuver down steep rocks to cross Saw Creek by bridge. (Photo by Susan Koomar)
This trail system was built by Youth Conservation Corps in the 1970s. (Photo by Susan Koomar)
Lots of interesting fungi are visible along the trail. (Photo by Susan Koomar)
September 17, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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These men - Daniel Fernandez, Frank Peter Goscinski and Richard Todd Shuleski - are among at least 19 registered sex offenders serving time in Pike County Correctional Facility, according to Pennsylvania's Megan's Law Web site.
PIKE COUNTY – You’ve heard the repulsive story making headlines in recent weeks – Jaycee Dugard, 11, snatched on her way to a school bus stop by a registered sex offender in California. Forced to bear him two children despite home visits by a parole officer. Finally rescued after 18 years.
School’s back in session. Do you know who may be prowling your neighborhood bus stop?
Philip Garrido, alleged abductor of Jaycee, is one of thousands of convicted sex offenders named in a national registry thanks to Megan’s Law. Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law Web site lists 51 offenders living in all parts of Pike County from Bushkill to Shohola, Greentown to Matamoras.
The site features a photo and address of each man (all of the offenders in Pike are male). But if you look at the breakdown by town or township, don’t think that Lords Valley – with 20 offenders – is a hotbed of perversion. Nineteen of the 20 men listed happen to be guests of the taxpayers; they’re jailed at the Pike County Correctional Facility off Route 739.
The sex crime convictions for the vast majority of those inmates came in others states: 11 in New York, two in New Jersey, one in Maryland and one in Delaware, according to an analysis by the Pike County Press. The crimes range from endangering the welfare of a child to rape.
There are 9,815 registered sex offenders in Pennsylvania, according to the Web site. Here are tallies for Pike municipalities: Bushkill – six, Dingmans Ferry – five, Greentown – three, Hawley – four; Lackawaxen – one; Matamoras – two; Milford – nine; Shohola – one; Tafton – one. Six of the sex crimes that got these Pike residents on the registry took place in Pennsylvania. Those crimes include an aggravated individual assault dating back to 1994, and, more recently, possession of child pornography in 2005 and indecent assault in 2007.
Similar to Pike’s registered sex offenders in jail, many of those who are free had convictions in neighboring states – 11 in New York, seven in New Jersey. Others committed crimes in Massachusetts, West Virginia and Missouri.
The registry can be found online at www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us. There is also a link to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law site on the home page of the Pike County Press.
Parents can find more information at www.familywatchdog.us. The site offers free registration to receive alerts when an offender moves in or out of your area.
The typical sexual predator will assault 117 times before being caught. The re-arrest rate for convicted child molesters is 52 percent, according to Family Watchdog.
The Web site offers a free family study guide that can be downloaded.
September 10, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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Pike County - Young Republicans in Pike County have formed a chapter of the Pennsylvania Federation of Young Republicans (payrs.com) and the Young Republican National Federation (yrnf.com) in Pike County. The Young Republicans reach out to registered Republicans between the ages of 18 and 40 and is the oldest political youth organization in the country. The Pike County Young Republicans (PCYR) will give young voters in the area an opportunity to become more involved in local, state, and national politics while also giving them the ability to let the party know what is important to young voters today.
The PCYR will hold its meetings at 476 Route 6 & 209 (Sunshine Station Early Learning Center directly across from Luhr’s Hardware) in Milford. The meetings are open to young Republicans who live and/or work in Pike County as well as younger and older Republicans who are interested in joining the organization.
For more information please visit www.PikeYR.com or contact Christopher Decker at CPDecker@PikeYR.com.
August 17, 2009 | Posted in
Pike County |
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PIKE COUNTY – Looking for answers to your gardening questions? Why not go to pikemgs.blogspot.com and check out the new Pike County Master Gardeners blog, created by Penn State Master Gardeners in Pike County? You will find helpful gardening tips and information on current problems such as late blight in potato and tomato plants. You can leave comments about any of the topics posted or ask questions on any other gardening questions you might have. Keep apprised of the gardening news throughout the fall and winter.
August 17, 2009 | Posted in
Outdoor |
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PIKE COUNTY – Mothers and More is an active, welcoming presence in the community. It is a place for mothers to make friends of their own, friends for their kids, and to participate in activities.
The organization offers *Mom’s Only* activities such as monthly meetings, Moms’ Nights Out, Scrapbook Club, & Book Club. *Mom & Tot* activities include playgroups, outings, organized crafts & parties. There is also a *Couples Nights Out* and *Family Parties* to involve Dads and have fun together as families.
This group is a local chapter of a larger organization: Mothers & More, which is a national non-profit organization, with more than 300 chapters nationwide, dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, education and advocacy. A mother’s needs as an individual, and as a member of society, are addressed and he value of all the work mothers do Is promoted.
For more info please email m_mpikecounty@yahoo.com or call Julie Membership Coordinator at 570-828-4102.
Local Website: http://www.freewebs.com/pikecountymoms/
National Website: http://www.mothersandmore.org
August 17, 2009 | Posted in
Kids |
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