Milton Police now on Facebook

I think many businesses and groups can benefit from social media – duh. It allows you to reach a lot of people with very little effort, which for many groups serving the public is a key task.

In that spirit, the Milton Police Department is now on Facebook and using the social media platform to help them do their work.

Here’s their site.

Every Friday, they’re posting people who have outstanding warrants so that they can serve what in some cases are very old outstanding warrants.

Here’s an example from this week:

I think it’s a great idea to help the department use resources wisely and let people know what’s going on in their community.

Because, after all, it is the public’s right to know what’s going on.

So, cheers to the Milton Police Department – keep up the good work!

Conestoga at the Supreme Court

Yesterday, was the big Conestoga hearing in front of the Supreme Court. I followed along live and I have to say, there is more division in this topic than I anticipated.

We’re interested in this case due to the inclusion of Conestoga Wood Specialties, which has big facilities here in Snyder County.

Anyway, it’s so polarizing, I can’t say any one side was more represented in social media or in the protests outside the court.

We also asked on our Facebook page what they thought and got very similarly polarizing responses:

• Erik Viker “These employers are resisting on religious grounds as self-described Christians. But they haven’t identified the specific religious writings that support their position, or explained why those scriptures must be so strictly followed by their company while less-convenient scriptures are ignored. It’s obviously not about faith, it’s about money.”
• Stan Kohl “I hope Conestoga Wood Specialties wins this case. Not that I agree or disagree with their view – I just think it is time that the government stops trying to tell us everything we need to do. It was suppose to be ‘For the people’ and not to ‘Rule over the people.'”
• Brynne Clawser “I think the employer should be able to say no for religious reasons. The government needs to stop forcing these things on us.”
• Michael Doyne “I don’t now about this, but a corporation canont be a person. I pay taxes that fix roads all around the state. What if I only wanted to pay taxes just for the roads I drive on and demand a discount? What if I don’t drive, and don’t care about any of the roads and don’t want my money to go to pay for them. If the court favors the side of corporations, we will opening a whole new can of worms.What if a business doesn’t believe in blood transfusions or synthetic drugs due to religious beliefs? What religons will be recognized, what would corporations have to do to profess ‘their’ faith in order to get discounts. The USA is ranked #35 in health care, one of the reasons for this extremely low ranking is lack of a national health care plan. With the ACA, we could start to see a rise in the world ranking.”

Red Cross heroes part 2!

I promised more photos from Friday and here they are!

This is Dr Pat Bruno, a true advocate for children:

Here’s Nicole Bingaman, Taylor’s mom, she gave such a heartfelt talk for her friend, everyone had tears in their eyes:

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Here’s the full group of heroes.

Everyone deserved it! Congrats!

Red Cross Heroes

This morning, I’m writing from the Red Cross Heroes Breakfast, where we get to hear amazing stories of help and action.

It’s one of my favorite events of the year. You hear the behind-the-scenes of some pretty extraordinary stories.

For example, earlier this year, I became familiar with traumatic brain injuries when I met Taylor Bingman and “Team Taylor.” Today, the woman who started the group is being honored.

There’s a lot more stories just like that one.

Here’s a peak at the scene, check for more in tomorrow’s paper!:

Celebrating Holi on Twitter!

It may be St. Patrick’s Day here, but for Hindus, it’s Holi, the festival of colors.

Here’s the summary, from Wikipedia:

There is a symbolic legend to explain why holi is celebrated. The word “Holi” originates from “Holika”, the evil sister of demon king Hiranyakashipu. King Hiranyakashipu had earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. The special powers blinded him, he grew arrogant, felt he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.^[1]

Hiranyakashipu’s own son, Prahlada,^[12] however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu.^[9] This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika – Prahlada’s evil aunt – tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her.^[1] Holika was wearing a cloak (shawl) that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada.^[9] Holika burned, Prahlada survived. Vishnu appeared and killed Hiranyakashipu. The bonfire is a reminder of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, of fire that burned Holika.^[10] The day after Holika bonfire is celebrated as Holi.

In Braj region of India, where Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated for 16 days (until Rangpanchmi) in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna, a Hindu deity. The festivities officially usher in spring, with Holi celebrated as festival of love.^[13] There is a symbolic myth behind commemorating Krishna as well. Baby Krishna transitioned into his characteristic dark blue skin colour because a she demon Putana poisoned him with her breast milk.^[14] In his youth, Krishna despairs whether fair skinned Radha and other Gopikas (girls) will like him because of his skin colour. His mother, tired of the desperation, asks him to approach Radha and colour her face in any colour he wanted. This he does, and Radha and Krishna became a couple. The playful colouring of the face of Radha has henceforth been commemorated as Holi.^[15][16] Beyond India, these legends to explain the significance of Holi (Phagwah) are common in some Caribbean and South American communities of Indian origin such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.^[17][18]

Holi festival has other cultural significance. It is the festive day to end and rid oneself of past errors, end conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or forgive debts, as well as deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the start of spring, and for many the start of new year.^[10][19]

And it’s in full force on Twitter, with some amazing photos – full of, well, color!

India today #holi #happyholi #india #hyderabad #pune #delhi #jaipur http://t.co/FhVjsdfXrO

— Haider Haaji (@GerradYNW) March 17, 2014

Happy #Holi 🙏👳 http://t.co/YLsHRp3PPf

— Freshly Educated Men (@Frshlyedumen) March 17, 2014

#holi pic.twitter.com/L5lxpvpbhU

— ümit ünal (@asyadada) March 17, 2014

Wishing you all a very ‘rangeen’ #Holi! May the colours and the music never stop flowing 🙂 pic.twitter.com/4zEenw3EJv

— Sony Music In (@SonyMusicIn) March 17, 2014

Colours everywhere as Indians celebrate the Hindu spring festival of #Holi. See pics: http://t.co/NMdt6zUvFX pic.twitter.com/Wrt9lNq8oM

— Yahoo Singapore (@YahooSG) March 17, 2014

I’d never heard of Holi before today, but now I want to celebrate!

K’NEX challenge trophies a work of art

Yesterday, I got to hang out with kids as they created K’NEX vehicles for a CSIU competition. It was so cool!

But one of the best parts was the trophies for winning.

The CDIU took the trophy duty seriously.

Here’s first place:

Here’s second:

Pretty darn cool.

I wish I could at with K’NEX for credit. Maybe the Daily Item will agree?

A local spot reopens!

[Note: sorry if this is a repeat, but WordPress is acting up and the previous time I tried to post this, it wouldn’t load.

If you’re from Danville, you know that one sure sign that it’s going to be getting warmer is the opening of Hunter’s Dairy Freez. It’s like Punxatawney Phil, but it always means the end of winter. So, yesterday was the first day of Hunter’s, and we were there – including my niece Leah who decided it was high-time she had some ice cream to celebrate Hunter’s open doors.

She’s just too cute, isn’t she?

Here’s another one:

So as you go outside and see snow piles, don’t worry – summer’s alsmost here, I can feel it!

Some fun on the beach for a cold day

We’ve all been looking for ways to escape this cruel, cruel winter.

I’ve found one that’s working a little bit for me, and I wanted to share it.

Picture it, you’re on the beach, relaxing, enjoying the sand and the calming waves. Need a little reminder? That’s where iDewey.com comes in.

They post amazing photos to their Facebook page to jog your memory.

Some may feature a little snow, but you know what? It’s enough to make me think of better times.

So sit back, relax and let the warm ocean waves roll over you.

Even though it’s only 10 degrees outside.

Removing unhealthy ads from schools?

Anytime food and children’s health is in the news, it’s a hot topic and news about the new regulations on marketing in schools was no different.

People had a hey day and were all over our Facebook page with their opinions and remarks.

Here’s some of the top replies:

• Matt Kitchen: I think it’s a bad idea for the government to try and regulate anything. After all, they can’t even regulate the government!
• Brandy Carnahan: Absolutely! The constant temptation of an unhealthy diet is unreal, American obesity, CAD and diabetes are on the rise more and more, but all we see and all we can afford is unhealthy food. They should not only stop advertising it they should make it more expensive and healthy foods less expensive, it is ridiculous!!

  Erika Ann Shallenberger You are never going to stop people from eating what they want to eat. You want to restrict “unhealthy” foods? There are going to be a lot of people who either pack their lunches or just all together refuse to eat. Not to mention, the portions they feed kids in school now a days is a joke! A high school student only gets 4 chicken nuggets to eat.

Bloom police warn public about serial groper

I try not to do too many PSA’s here on the blog, but there is one I wanted to bring to everyone’s attention, going on in Bloomsburg.

A man has been preying on young women and groping them in public and now the police are asking for help in catching him.

If you see anything suspicious in Bloomsburg, please call police and stay safe!

Here’s the story:

A white man in his early 20s has groped eight collegeaged women in town since November, according to town police.

The fondler in each case has also been described as a being of average height and wearing a dark hoodie, town police Chief Roger Van Loan said.

“The contact is very brief,” he said. “There is no weapon displayed.”

The latest incident occurred earlier in February, near the intersection of Fourth and Chestnut streets, though the attacks have occurred “in different areas,” Van Loan said.

Based on victims’ reports, police believe the assailant waits for the victims to pass before he gropes, grabs or fondles them, Van Loan said.

“It appears he would wait for them,” he said.

Victims have either been walking alone or in groups of up to four.

“In the group of four, the others even believed it was somebody that the fourth person knew, but later realized it wasn’t,” he said.

The incidents date to No­vember, but some were not reported until much later, “anywhere from hours to weeks later,” Van Loan said. “That’s why it took us (some time) to realize that there was a pattern here.”

Now, the police department is hoping the public can help by reporting any suspicious activity and by women being more cautious, Van Loan said.

“We’re aggressively investigating this, but (women) just need to be aware,” he said. “If anybody sees anything suspicious, call us right away.”