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From the Editor ...
HJean Knouse
appy 2025! As we begin a new year, I want to look back — for just a moment — on the past 25 years.
Those of us who were around to celebrate the turn of the century in 1999/2000 were worried about Y2K and the collapse of the financial world.
In 2025, it’s hard to remember how real the danger felt. But, nothing happened. Our bank accounts were safe, the cash we got out of the ATM on Dec. 30 could be redeposited and we breathed a celebratory sigh of relief.
As we begin 2025, it has been 25 years since that worry. A new generation has been born, 20-year-olds in 2000 are now middle-aged and many of the people who were most worried about Y2K are gone.
Twenty-five years is either the blink of an eye or a really long time — depending on your point of view.
Children who were born in 2000 have graduated from high school, college and, perhaps, graduate school. Newlyweds in 2000, will celebrate their silver anniversary in 2025. Someone who began a career in 2000 has now been employed for most of the years they will be employed.
George Bush was president from 2001 through 2009; Barrack Obama from 2009-2017; Donald Trump from 2017-2021; Joe Biden from 2021-2025 and Donald Trump will be inaugurated for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025.
In the twenty-five year period that began Jan. 1, 2000, the U.S. was attacked on 9/11/2001; in 2008, there was a financial crisis and the first black president was elected; in 2020, a pandemic that caused thousands of deaths began; two women ran for president — one in 2016 and the other in 2024 — but neither was elected. Hurricanes, tornados and floods are no longer freak occurrences and there are more ways to watch a TV show or movie than anyone ever envisioned 25 years ago.
Twenty-five Super Bowls have been played: The New England Patriots won six of them. Twenty-five World Series Games have also been played: The Boston Red Sox won four of them. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 100 years.
Taylor Swift was 16 years old when she recorded her first album in 2005 — 20 years ago. In 2025, she is a superstar, a hardworking young woman who cares about her fan base and rewards the people who work for/with her.
It makes you wonder about the next 25 years, doesn’t it? Let’s wish/hope/pray for good things for everyone!
Everyone at Inside PA wishes you and yours health and happiness in this new year!
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Jean L. Knouse, Editor jknouse@dailyitem.com
TheHome e With a ContinuingCareCommunity
Inglis: Becca Boyer is
pottery captain at STEAM.
Rob’s favorite fall photos
Robert Inglis is an awardwinning photographer for The Daily Item. In 2023, Inglis’s 20-year Retrospective of Photographic Journalism was exhibited at the Degenstein Library in Sunbury.
Robert Inglis
Mount Carmel marching band member Amirah Russell wails away on the saxaphone during the pregame show at the Coal Bucket game.
Army veteran Carl Klock, left, gets pushed by Bucknell ROTC member Jacob An along side fellow ROTC member Paige Glemser who was pushing WWII Army veteran Ralph Noble during a Veteran’s Day parade at Riverwoods in Lewisburg.
Melissa and Wade Yocum hold their daughters Faith Yocum, 1 and Elinor Yocum, 2, as they bang the gavel to celebrate their adoption during Northumberland County’s adoption day ceremony in Sunbury.
Franklin Day honors his birth on Jan. 17, 1706, in Boston, Mass.
“Just do it”
On Jan. 23, 1845, a uniform election day for president and vice president was authorized
Fun at Work Day Martin Luther King Day
Auschwitz Liberation Day
On Jan. 28, 1813, Thomas Egerton published Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
On Feb. 11, 1943, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was selected to
On Feb. 22, 1980, the American hockey team beat Russia 4-3 at Lake Placid. It was the “miracle on ice.”
On Feb. 25, 1932, Austrian immigrant Adolf Hitler became a German citizen
Diem
Illuminating the night sky
Aurora Borealis visible from central Pennsylvania
Story by Nicholas D. Williams
Last year, in early October, residents throughout the Susquehanna Valley were able to view one of nature’s most vibrant phenomena — the Aurora Borealis. (Aurora means light and Borealis means northern.)
Dr. Jackie Villadsen, professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University, said the “northern lights,” as they’re more commonly known, are a form of coronal mass ejection (CME). In essence, a CME is a fireball that is discharged from the sun: This amounts to an enormous ball of magnetized plasma that squashes the magnetic field of our planet and results in the movement of it, which has a high probability of generating electrical currents.
Villadsen compares this to the process of generating electricity. “This is what happens inside an electrical generator,” she said, “You spin a magnet, and the spinning magnet makes electricity.”
The electricity caused by the CME, after hitting the Earth’s atmosphere, works similarly to neon lights —
currents hit atmospheric gases and illuminate them, causing the aurora. Differing atoms react differently to these charges; but, Villadsen said the predominant colors of red and green — that were mostly seen in the commonwealth — were caused by nitrogen and oxygen respectively.
The Earth’s magnetic field is comparable to a “donut” that surrounds our planet. This invisible barrier, is at its strongest near the equator and tapers off near the North and South Poles.
This is why you typically can view the aurora borealis in very northern places, such as Alaska, Canada or Iceland, Villadsen said.
Moreover, this field is “squishy,” and a large CME can warp it. In most instances, this causes the magnetic field to transform, making these gaps at the poles significantly larger. This past October, the gaps created were large enough for the lights to be seen as far south as our river valley.
In Selinsgrove, Dr. Jennifer Carter, professor of
physics, astronomy and astrophysics at Susquehanna University, says that this was a “very unusual occurrence.”
“Every 11 years or so the sun becomes more active and likely to release stronger solar winds,” Carter said.
These winds, along with CMEs and solar flares, are referred to as “space weather” by astronomers. What’s more, all these organic anomalies impact the planet’s “donut” the same way, Carter says. These incidents are often referred to as “geomagnetic storms.”
While they create one of the most beautiful natural wonders, geomagnetic storms can have negative impacts.
While most cause minor disruptions in radio or global positioning system (GPS) communications, Carter says major storms can cause mass power outages. Along with these, Villadsen says that satellites can suffer long-term damages and, on occasion, airplanes must reroute to avoid dangerous radiation exposure. This issue does not reach the general population on the ground.
While the lights were visible to nearly everyone in Pennsylvania, there was a caveat to actually see them. According to Carter, a brighter showing of the aurora borealis can be visible to the naked eye up to about 600 miles. What we saw, which was a dimmer aurora, appeared to brighten the night, opposed to seeing the vast array of colors.
The trick to seeing these colors in their totality was to do it through a camera. Cameras, including those found in most smartphones, can utilize a “night-mode.” This allows the camera to record light for a longer period of time, collecting more light than the naked eye is able to see.
Then, photos will show all of the vibrant colors that the aurora is known for. Villadsen said that in some places, those far from light pollution, you were able to see some
Kurt Beecher
Above/below: The aurora borealis as viewed with the camera lens.
of the colors with the naked eye. However, they were not nearly as bright as they would have been through the camera.
While the causation was known, both Bucknell and Susquehanna University are keeping watch.
“Just like the rest of the local area,” Carter says, “we’re keeping watch to see if we get another opportunity to see an amazing display of light!” While there are no formal studies being conducted by either university at this time, she directed us to the Parker Solar Probe.
This satellite, which was launched in 2018, travels at speeds of up to 430,000 miles an hour in 2025, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) website. It was designed to swoop within four million miles of the sun’s surface and will complete a total of 24 solar orbits by 2025.
While orbiting, this probe samples particles from the corona of the sun and its magnetic field. The main goal is “to trace the flow of energy, to study the heating of the solar
corona and to explore what accelerates the solar wind,” according to the NASA website.
As far as when the lights will be visible again in our area, there is no absolute way to predict their reappearance.
However, Carter says that the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) uses satellites to keep watch on solar flares and CMEs. Think of this as a typical weather report: It is only accurate for a few days — at most.
Along with that, Villadsen says that we are in the midst of “solar maximum,” which is the time period during the sun’s 11-year solar cycle when activity is at its peak. She said we can expect to see more storms throughout the next two years.
For Villadsen, who has worked in the field of astronomy all of her career, this was her first time seeing the aurora in person. She was “thrilled” to have this opportunity and said, it is “incredible to actually see an aurora come to life in the night sky.”
Nicholas Williams
Nicholas Williams
From THE Coal region ... to Hollywood
An actress who never forgot her roots
Story by Cindy O. Herman
Little Ellen Albertini Dow grew up playing with her six older siblings on Hickory Street, in Mount Carmel, never dreaming she’d one day share movie credits with Hollywood stars such as Whoopi Goldberg, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and more.
Dow was born November 16, 1913, in Mount Carmel, to Ellen and Oliver Albertini, immigrants from northern Italy.
Oliver owned a garage in town.
“She went off to California, but she always came back. She was very, very proud to be a girl from the coal regions,” Vivian McCracken, a librarian at the Mount Carmel Area Public Library, said.
According to numerous online reports, Dow studied
dance and piano at the age of 5. Eventually she graduated from Cornell University and lived in New York City for 11 years while acting, choreographing and performing mime. She went on to teach drama at Los Angeles City College.
It wasn’t until she was 67 that she began a new career as a character actor. In 1998’s “The Wedding Singer,” Dow became known for her role as Rosie, who paid for piano lessons from Adam Sandler’s character with meatballs and stole the show when she sang the hip-hop song, “Rapper’s Delight.”
In 2005’s “Wedding Crashers,” starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken and Bradley Cooper, Dow played the cranky grandmother of Rachel McAdams
Ellen and her husband, Eugene Dow, walk on Third and Oak streets in Mount Carmel.
Photo provided by Cathy Besser
Cindy O. Herman
Top: Framed photos of some of Ellen Dow’s movies, including “Sister Act,” “Fat Girls,” “Wedding Crashers,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Road Trip,” “Patch Adams” and “54.”
Right: A CD presented to Ellen Dow commemorating 1 million copies sold of “The Wedding Singer,” starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
and Isla Fisher. She also portrayed a choir nun in “Sister Act,” starring Whoopi Goldberg; Aggie Kennedy in “Patch Adams” and Disco Dottie in “54.”
She appeared in TV shows including “The Golden Girls,” “Seinfeld,” “Six Feet Under,” “New Girl” and many others. Despite her achievements, she regularly returned to her hometown in Northumberland County.
“She would come and visit the library. She thought it was very important,” McCracken said. “She met all my children. She really enjoyed telling young people that they could be from the coal region and go off and see the world, that all sorts of possibilities are open to them.”
JUST ELLEN
A few doors down from the library, on Oak Street, Cathy Besser and her family operate the Academy Sports Center athletic apparel and graphic design store. Besser often talked with Dow and her husband, Eugene Dow.
“We had a lunch counter here until 2001,” Besser said. “They would sit at the counter. She loved the sticky buns from Hollywood (Pizza & Bakery). She was kind to everybody.”
Besser and her co-workers showered attention on Eugene, who was married to Dow for 53 years.
“He was a gentleman,” Besser said. “We kind of made a fuss about him because everybody made a fuss about her.”
After Eugene’s death in 2004, Dow continued to visit Mount Carmel, always stopping at Eugene’s grave in Saint Peter’s Cemetery, in the Albertini family plot.
“She put flowers on her husband’s and parents’ graves,” McCracken said. “She didn’t wear glasses or walk with a cane. She was as spry as any young person. She was a
force of energy.”
McCracken recalled when Mount Carmel selected Dow as the honored guest in a parade. As it passed Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, on South Market Street, a bride and
Cindy O. Herman Ellen Albertini Dow grew up playing with her six older siblings in this home on South Hickory Street, next to Shimock’s Furniture, in Mount Carmel.
Cindy O. Herman
Mount Carmel residents Vivian McCracken and Cathy Besser shared fond memories of Ellen Dow and her husband, Eugene.
groom happened to be exiting their wedding, which was upstaged by the parade.
“Ellen just stopped the car, jumped out and said to the bride, ‘I’m sorry,’” McCracken said. “The bride was so blown away that this actress came and stopped and gave her a hug. She did neat things like that.”
Dow didn’t have to come back to her hometown, Besser said. She chose to because her background was so important to her.
Dow died on May 4, 2015, at the age of 101 and is buried in Saint Peter’s Cemetery, in Mount Carmel.
“She loved her town,” Besser said. “There was no air about her. When she was in Mount Carmel, she was just Ellen. I miss her.” SELINSGROVE
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Makerspace provides tools, community for creators
Story and photos by Mary Bernath
It was pure serendipity that brought Jay Jones, of Riverside, to the STEAM Innovation Labs in Sunbury, where he created his one-of-a-kind wood and stained-glass sculpture.
Located at the corner of Market and Fourth streets in Sunbury, this makerspace opened its doors in December 2022. In just two years, it has set up more than a dozen workspaces where local residents can make their creative ideas come to life in everything from wood to fabric to glass.
Jones’s journey to the STEAM Labs began several years ago in Portland, Oregon, where a stained-glass panel on display at the Rain Shine Studio caught his eye. He and
his wife Kay had the perfect spot for it, in a sunny window in their rustic family cabin in nearby Washington State. So, Jay emailed the artist, Amy Machesic, to see if she would make him something similar.
“You’re too late,” she said. “I’ve closed my shop and left the area.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Oh, a little town in Pennsylvania. You wouldn’t know it.”
As it turned out, he did. She had grown up in Watsontown and learned all about glass from her dad, Rick Wolfe, who has owned Watsontown Glass for more than 50 years.
After a seven-year apprenticeship with him to learn the craft and business of glass, she set out with her husband
Market Street view of STEAM Innovation Labs. Door opens from 363 Market St. Items in the window were made on site.
Jay Jones, of Riverside, examines the wood and stained-glass piece he created at the STEAM Innovation glass lab. He shaped the frame at home out of live edge walnut (note the bark along one side) and did the glass work under the direction of Amy Machesic, of Rain Shine Studio.
Tim Gelvin, electronics captain, has set up a fix-it work space where community members can come to learn to do soldering and testing they can’t do at home for lack of skills or tools. Here he is repairing a model train engine. Gelvin had to close his computer repair and electronics business for health reasons. His equipment was gathering dust, so he donated his equipment and expertise to the STEAM Labs. He is also active in the Amateur Radio Club that meets there.
Member Jeremy Bacon spends time at STEAM Innovation Labs making moccasins and other leather items to sell. Here he is working on a pair of lined moccasins.
This is the main workroom for STEAM Innovation Labs. Beyond is the wood/glass/metalworking big room, with smaller rooms and classrooms opening onto these two. Pictured here are Becca Boyer, one of the captains, and Autumn Blevins, at work on the costume she is making.
for the West Coast in 2012, opening a glass studio of her own in Portland.
In 2021, they returned to this area to be near family. “I brought all my stuff back to Pennsylvania, and two weeks later, I got an email from Jay asking me to make that glass piece for him.”
She had thought she would put glass aside for awhile and just raise her kids, then three and five, but soon she was digging out her tools and searching through her dad’s glass scraps to find what she needed. “Jay and Kay were the catalyst to get me back to work,” she said.
Another impetus was being asked to join the newly formed STEAM Innovation Labs as the captain of the glass making studio there and to set up a workspace where community members could come and learn to do stained glass themselves.
The STEAM Innovation Labs was the brainchild of Meghan Beck, who is also a County Commissioner in Northumberland Co.
“It was just an idea at first,” she said. She obtained space in Fall 2019, but then COVID0-19 hit, and the project was put on hold. She was serving on the Sunbury Revitalization Board at the time. “I was very much aware of things people look for in a community when deciding whether to open a
business or settle there,” she said.
She had heard about the Maker Movement, which “seeks to get people off their screens and use their hands and brains to make something,” as Jones puts it. Beck knew it was growing in popularity elsewhere, and she visited makerspaces in other communities.
“I did a lot of research,” she said, “on how to make it viable. We were able to obtain most equipment second-hand. The aim was to be all self-funded. This makerspace is meant to be for the community.”
When Machesic told Jay Jones about the STEAM Labs, he was inspired to try his hand at creating a glass piece himself. Having often admired the sunsets out west, he wanted to create a “Mr. Roy G. Biv” to capture a rainbow with the sun shining through it. All he needed were some stained-glass lessons and the tools and a place to work. The STEAM Labs filled the bill.
Jones was thinking big. A skilled woodworker, he obtained a piece of live edge walnut lumber, with some of the bark still intact, and he cut, rounded, and sanded a five-foot-tall frame in his home workshop. Machesic traced out the opening on the light table and they planned the glass design together, with Kay helping to choose the color sequence.
This mural on the Fourth Street side of STEAM Innovation Labs was painted by Sunbury resident Pedro Reyes. The Labs sits at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in Sunbury.
“I wanted to do all the glass work myself,” said Jay, “so Amy taught me hands on in a series of workshops. I learned how to cut the glass and put it together with lead. The spooky part was flipping the finished design, glueing it into the frame, and bringing it home, where it now sits in a front window.”
“I got so much satisfaction out of making that,” he said. The original plan was to display the sculpture out west, but Kay has insisted, “I don’t want it out there for the renters,” so it will remain in Riverside. The entire project took about two months to complete.
Not everyone has such an ambitious project in mind, but all who come to the STEAM Labs appreciate the expert guidance. “People come with an idea but don’t know how to realize it,” said Ty Derk, former program director and now captain for drawing and painting. “Or they might come with ideas but no machine to complete it. Our captains help them get started and coach them along the way.”
In October, Autumn Blevins worked with the fabric captain, Isis Gallo, to create an elaborate Batman costume for her boyfriend for Halloween. She had a sketch of what she wanted and used heat malleable foam to create the chest armor and helmet. A cape completed the outfit.
The STEAM maker space has labs for woodworking, textiles, electronics, leatherwork, drawing and painting, pottery, and 3-D printing, each set up with supplies and managed by a captain who is skilled in that medium and ready to teach and assist as needed. Each space is wellequipped with the necessary tools to complete a project.
Other specialty areas include the radio room, a recording and photography studio, a welding area for metalworking, a pottery kiln, a darkroom for old-style photography, and an ongoing model train layout to which members contribute unique buildings they have created.
STEAM Labs is open every day from 12-8 p.m. Basic memberships for adults and teens cost $40 per month. Special memberships with more privileges cost $100 to $200 per month. Full-access members can work on their projects 24/7 and have a storage locker on site. Classes are open to non-members as well as members, and one-on-one workshops with individual captains are also available. More information on fees and programs is on the website at www.steaminnovationlabs.org.
The Labs contain an amazing selection of sophisticated equipment. They have a vinyl laser cutting board that can program a design and then cut it into leather, acrylic, or glass. There is a hot press for making T-shirts, four 3-D printers, and a large-scale printer to do poster-sized jobs.
In woodworking, “we have everything we need to go from raw wood to smooth finished lumber,” said wood captain Ed English. Most amazing is a computer-controlled routing machine (CNC) that can carve a design into a full sheet of plywood.
Training is required to use some of the equipment and users must be certified before being permitted to work on their own without supervision.
STEAM gets its equipment used from other maker sites or businesses that are closing or that have upgraded to newer equipment. “One person donated equipment she couldn’t use, but she wanted to learn, so we taught her how to use it,” Derk said. “Now she uses it here.”
Tim Gelvin, electronics captain, was forced to close his computer repair and electronics business for health reasons a number of years ago, and all his equipment was gathering dust. So, he donated his equipment along with his expertise and now helps people who need to do solder-
Amy Machesic, left, glass captain at the STEAM Innovation Labs, helps put the finishing touches on the glass bat created by Jaime Cross, right.
Ty Derk, left, and woodworking captain Ed English, right, try out the giant Jenga game English created as a demonstration at a recent First Friday program open to community families. These monthly open houses from 5-8 p.m. are free and open to all ages.
Alyss Blahm supervises the 3-D printing lab at STEAM Innovations. Members can bring designs they want to print or Blahm will help them design one with the software he has available.
ing or test equipment and don’t have the tools or skills they need at home. He also serves as the lobby greeter on Mondays, checking people in and answering their questions.
Gelvin’s other passion is amateur radio, and he’s very proud of the radio “closet” with an antenna on the roof. The Susquehanna Valley Amateur Radio Club meets there the first Tuesday of each month. “Now that we’re all hooked up, we can talk to the world,” he said.
Ty Derk, an illustrator and painter with a young family at home, appreciates the chance to get away to a place where you can make noise and mess at all hours of the day or night and not bother anyone. “You can work with no interruptions,” he said. “And you can even create a surprise for someone at home.”
Derk has illustrated several books with his line drawings, including “American Monsters” with a monster and illustration for each state. Recently, he’s started oil painting again. He plans to rent one of the private studios upstairs as soon as they are ready. In the past, at home, “I’ve had a few paintings ruined with fingerprints from my 3-year-olds,” he said. Nine studios will soon be available to rent out to area artists.
STEAM Innovation Labs caters to local businesses as well. Becca Boyer, the pottery captain, has used their equipment to create T-shirts and signs for her gluten-free bakery business, which started as a stand in the Market House and is now the Sugar Cat Gluten Free Bakery on Market Street. Boyer bakes for special events at STEAM, including First Friday open houses.
Captains are excited about their spaces. Alyss Blahm, who watches over the 3-D printing area, calls the machines “My babies. I adore them.” He hails from Washington state and has been doing 3-D printing for 12 years. He is especially vigilant in keeping moisture away from his machines, which go up to 200 degrees Celsius and will bubble the filament if it gets wet.
Members can come in with designs and print them there, or Alyss will help people design their own with the software he has available. STEAM also has a resin printer in the science area that can create molded figures. One person used that equipment to make a miniature army for a game.
Stained glass is a major attraction, and Amy Machesic teaches classes and workshops for individuals or small groups. In October, she had three apprentices during one session making Halloween designs.
Jaime Cross had worked with Machesic before and knew to be wary of sharp edges on the glass pieces. “If you’re doing glass you’re going to cut yourself,” Machesic said. “But glass cuts are clean cuts and heal quickly. Much less painful than a paper cut.”
Cross was making bats while Emma Gregory took on the challenge of a spider web. In all, she spent three sessions cutting the glass, grinding it, and then soldering it with copper foil.
Some people come to STEAM to make items to sell.
Jeremy Bacon, a leatherworker, uses the laser etcher to cut designs into his leather. He also makes lined moccasins.
Meghan Beck, founder of STEAM Innovation Labs, with resident cat Clementine. In the background is the lobby, where finished works are displayed and some are available for purchase. Beck began planning this maker space in 2019, but COVID -19 delayed its completion until December 2022, when it opened its doors to the community. It is located at 363 Market St. in Sunbury.
“I’m kinda new to this,” he said, “but I enjoy it.” He’s been coming regularly for 4-5 months.
One easy way to learn more about the STEAM Innovation Labs is to come to the First Friday events for the whole family. Organizers present a different theme each month, with demonstrations and hands-on activities. Each time a particular medium is featured. Past programs have done woodworking and rug making and electronics.
Becca Boyer bakes a special cake each month. Especially memorable was her tree stump cake with moss and vines that she created for the woodworking program. The free open houses run from 5-8 p.m.
“The people are the best thing about the STEAM Labs,” said Meghan Beck.
“We create a space for people to come together.”
“Maker’s spaces are really popping up these days,” said Ty Derk. “I think A-I has started a reaction to make traditional media come back.” Dark-
Becca Boyer, pottery captain, sits near one of her potter’s wheels. STEAM has a kiln in house to fire pieces made there. Boyer , owner of Sugar Cat Gluten Free Bakery on Market St., is also the official baker for STEAM events, such as First Fridays.
Amy Machesic, center, glass captain at the STEAM Innovation Labs, with two learners during a recent workshop. Also pictured, from left, are Jaime Cross and Emma Gregory. Glass artist Machesic has a shop, Rain Shine Studios, located in the Street of Shops in Lewisburg.
“ WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A GYM FOR YOUR CREATIVITY EQUIPPED WITH TOOLS AND TALENT INSTEAD OF EXERCISE MACHINES .”
TY DERK, ARTIST
room photography is one such older medium that is having a resurgence.
At STEAM, there are two instructors and a number of interested learners.
Sunbury’s STEAM Innovation Labs are not the only maker spaces in Pennsylvania, but they are still relatively rare in rural areas. “State College and Lancaster both have makerspaces that are open to the public,” said Meghan Beck, “and Bucknell has a private one, called the 7th Street Studio.” Milton has a maker space, too, that is geared more toward teens. Public libraries and children’s museums offer
some maker programs for kids as well.
“We’re at the tip of the iceberg here,” said Amy Machesic.
Jay Jones plans to become a regular. He has a new idea, already, of a dragonfly made out of wood with openings for stained glass wings. He’s excited to be part of a place where “artists invite the community and their hands in to make stuff.”
“What we have here is a gym for your creativity,” said Derk, “equipped with tools and talent instead of exercise machines.”
Autumn Blevins created a Batman costume for her boyfriend for Halloween. She came to fabric captain Isis Gallo with a sketch of what she had in mind, and Gallo helped her choose materials and learn how to make it happen. Here, Blevins is applying heat-malleable foam to create the chest armor.
Bring out flavor in hearty winter soups
Vo-tech students break down cooking process, offer tips
Story and photos by Cindy O. Herman
On a frosty day when snow drapes the rooftops and you pull on your most snuggly sweater, go ahead and steam up the kitchen windows with a bubbling pot of hearty soup that will chase the chills away.
Students at two local vocational-technical schools — SUN Area Technical Institute in New Berlin, and Northumberland County Career & Technology Center in Coal Township — created rich soups bursting with flavor and winter cheer.
At the SUN Tech Culinary Arts Program, Justin Wright guided his students in creating a creamy Winter Bisque that drew its flavor from roasted squashes and plenty of flavorful herbs and vegetables. And while he likes soup himself, he prefers it along with something more substantial.
“My wife loves a bowl of soup on a cold winter day. It’s warm and comforting,” he said. “But I don’t like it as an entrée. I want a sandwich or something with it.”
Gracie Eichman, a senior, and junior Ariaunna Verducci started the bisque by slowly sautéing onions, celery, garlic and oil in a large pot.
“Sautéing cooks the vegetables a little bit,” Eichman said.
“It makes sure they’re thoroughly done,” Verducci added. Meanwhile, Pietro Fiorello, a senior, worked on rustic croutons by cutting some day-old rolls into somewhat large cubes then tossing with oil and spices before toasting in the oven.
“Soup makes people feel good,” he said. “If I cooked it by myself, then I’m also proud of myself for doing a good job.”
The students stirred in a broth and added cubed sweet potatoes to the pot. They removed a tray of roasted acorn squash and butternut squash from the oven, scooped out the tender pulp inside and added that to the mix before combining with an immersion blender.
“Soup is my favorite go-to,” Verducci said. “It’s comfort food. Holding the bowl keeps your hands warm.”
Fiorello’s favorite is lobster bisque, while Eichman prefers French onion soup with melted cheese. She, too, appreciates the warmth of a bowl of soup.
“It’s like hot chocolate,” she said. “It’s warm. It’s comforting.”
Wright checked on the bisque and decided to pour it into a blender to increase the creaminess.
To accompany Winter Bisque, he suggested stirring in sour cream or, even better, crème fraiche — it’s not as
Above: Robert Renner, left, and Anthony Heller prepare vegetables for chicken corn soup at Northumberland County Career & Technology Center. Below: Pietro Fiorello drizzles oil onto a bowl of cubed bread to be baked into croutons at SUN Area Technical Institute.
strong as sour cream, he said. He also suggested crusty bread or the rustic croutons, which are surprisingly easy to make (see recipe). A sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese adds the final touch.
He dipped a spoon into a bowl and tasted the bisque, saying with an approving nod, “It’s good,” before the students hurried off to start their next project.
As Meghan Foote, culinary arts teacher at Northumberland County Career & Technology Center, made her rounds among groups of students baking cookies and making Fall Harvest Salad, she paused to check in with the teens making chicken corn soup.
With paper towels, Anthony Heller, a senior, dabbed excess moisture off chicken thighs before searing them in hot oil. Meanwhile, senior Robert Renner diced celery, using his fingers to guide the knife. He noted that the cooks kept a bowl nearby to collect discarded pieces.
“We keep the area clean as we go,” Renner said.
Anthony Beachem, also a senior, broke up square pot pie noodles into smaller pieces to add to the soup while the other two students laid out the diced celery and onion, garlic, sliced carrots and spices.
“We always prep (ingredients) before we make something,” Renner said.
“Usually, it’s a precaution so we don’t miss anything,” Heller added.
After sautéing the vegetables, they simmered them along with the chicken and broth until everything softened and a delicious aroma of onion and slow-boiled chicken filled the air.
When asked if this recipe called for the doughy rivels that are popular in Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, Foote laughed, fondly remembering her father making them when she was growing up in Shamokin. Renner, Heller and Beachem, however, had never heard of them.
“I guess it depends on where you’re from,” Foote said, agreeing that rivels were more popular years ago.
The culinary arts department did, however, add heavy cream to the soup, not necessarily to thicken it but to enhance the richness of the recipe, she said.
When the soup was finished, the students proudly ladled it into a bowl, sprinkled crispy bacon on top and offered tastes to a visitor, who pronounced it delicious!
“People like heartier soups in the winter,” Foote mused. “It’s comforting. It makes them think of home, of growing up.”
Tips for making great soup
1
2 3 4
Especially if making something such as a Winter Bisque, roast the vegetables first, Justin Wright said. “It caramelizes the sugars and brings out the flavors and a little sweetness.”
Roasting or sautéing garlic also brings out its flavor.
Always use quality ingredients. “Don’t cut corners,” Wright said. “In this area we have so many farms and farm stands where we can get fresh ingredients.”
For just about any soup, sprinkling some crispy bacon on top can add extra flavor, Meghan Foote said.
5
Something such as chicken corn soup is great if served with hearty bread. “Something like homemade bread would be really good with this,” Foote said. “Or even a sourdough cracker.”
Northumberland County Career & Technology Center culinary arts teacher Meghan Foote discusses cooking techniques with Anthony Heller, left, and Anthony Beachem.
After removing squash from the oven, Ariaunna Verducci, left, and Gracie Eichman are ready to scoop it out and add it to the bisque at SUN Area Technical Institute.
Northumberland County Career & Technology Center’s
Chicken Corn Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, skins removed, excess fat trimmed
Salt and black pepper
1 3/4 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (about 3 ribs)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth (7.5 cups)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
3 cups corn
2 cups (heaping, 4.5 oz.) old-fashioned egg noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley
6 slices bacon, cooked, chopped
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Dab thighs dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Sear thighs in pot until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, leaving oil in pot.
Add onion, carrots and celery to pot. Sauté 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Pour in chicken broth then return chicken to pot along with bay leaves and thyme. Season soup with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, then shred.
Meanwhile add corn kernels and egg noodles to soup. Simmer, covered, for amount of time listed on noodles package (usually 14 to 20 minutes). Return chicken to soup, add cream and parsley. Taste soup for more salt, as needed.
Remove bay leaves. Pour servings into bowls and garnish with bacon.
Winter Bisque with rustic croutons
Winter squash (acorn, butternut sugar pumpkin), about 3
pounds
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large, yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the squash halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, scoop the soft squash flesh out of the skin
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the cayenne, and several grinds of pepper, then add the roasted squash, sweet potatoes, broth, and thyme leaves. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.
Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender with the lemon juice and maple syrup and blend until
smooth. Work in batches if necessary. Season to taste.
Portion into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, crème fraiche, and croutons
Rustic croutons
Cube some leftover bread or rolls, a little larger than normal croutons.
Toss with oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt and Italian seasoning.
Toast in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle on soups or salads.
ACROSS
1. Hand (Spanish)
5. Siskel and __, critics
10. Seamen
12. Chemical weapon
14. One who eliminates
16. They precede C
18. Baseball stat
19. Americans’ “uncle”
20. Cassia tree
22. Surround
23. Crisp and Pebbles are two
25. A sudden very loud sound
26. Affirmative
27. Disadvantage
28. Corpuscle count (abbr.)
30. OJ trial judge
31. New York art district
33. Become more bleak
35. Upstate NY city
37. Clarified butters
38. One who witnesses
40. Condemn
41. __ juris
42. Natural
44. Prohibit
45. Swiss river
48. Greek war god
50. 5 iron
52. New Zealand mountain parrot
53. Scandinavian surname
55. Follows sigma
56. Doctor of Education
57. Spanish be
58. One that feeds on bugs
63. Tooth issue
65. Get into
66. Lumps of clay
67. Overly studious student
DOWN
1. Variety of Chinese
2. Boxing’s GOAT
3. Japanese classical theater
4. Prayer
5. Inspire with love
6. Ballplayers’ accessory
PA
CROSSWORD
7. Retailer payment system
8. More raw
9. Atomic #81
10. Fencing sword
11. Hostilities
13. Sea dweller
15. Resinlike substance secreted by certain insects
17. Businessmen
18. Rest here please (abbr.)
21. Loud devices
23. Make a soft murmur-
ing sound
24. One point west of due south
27. Trout
29. Type of grass
32. South American plant
34. Letter of the Greek alphabet
35. Not secure
36. Traveler
39. Sweet potato
40. Period after sunrise and before sunset
43. Some are choppy
44. Asian country
46. Genus of mosquitoes
47. Cool!
49. Shrill, wailing sound
51. A baglike structure in a plant or animal
54. Within
59. Unhappy
60. Decorate a cake with frosting
61. Videocassette recorder
62. Largest English dictionary (abbr.)
64. It cools a home
— See puzzle answers on Page 36
THEIR SECRETS ARE NOT SAFE WITH US.
We believe government functions best when it operates in the open.
We have a responsibility to you, our readers. It is our job to question authority, expose wrong-doings, ght injustice and get to the heart of the issues that matter most. We are watchdogs who advocate for accountability and transparency.
As we observe Sunshine Week, we celebrate why freedom of information through an open government is a bedrock of democracy. Information belongs in the hands of the people, and of cials of government should never shield the public from this constitutional right. You deserve no less.
Volunteers combat acid mine drainage
Group seeks to restore Shamokin Creek
Story and photos by Lisa Z. Leighton
For many Susquehanna River Valley locals, streams flowing with orange-colored water are synonymous with the town of Shamokin. The streams are the result of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) from coal-related activities, often abandoned decades ago.
Chemically speaking, AMD is the exposure of pyrite —
coal deposits — to oxygen and water. When weathered, it releases iron and acidity to the water, and when the water reaches the surface, the iron oxidizes and precipitates iron hydroxide (yellow boy) on the bottom of streams, choking out most aquatic life.
For nearly 30 years, the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alli-
Passive AMD treatment system
Mike Molesevich, a retired environmental consultant and SCRA volunteer, talked in layman’s terms about one of those historical treatment projects, the Corbin Water Level Drift (SCARLIFT Site 15) on SR901, a passive AMD treatment system, which was started in the summer of 2004 and became fully functional in 2007.
The site treats AMD from Shamokin Creek and releases it back into the stream cleaner, as Molesevich explains, “The water flows (into the system) naturally with its own pressure, flows out of a shaft and then flows through the mushroom soil, which is underground. Only part of the discharge is being treated, but a majority goes through these small ponds. The ponds are lined with landfill barriers, similar to rubber roofing, and then on top of that is a limestone, so the acidic water from the mine comes in contact with the basic limestone and it raises the pH and then flows through these areas, and is then discharged back into the stream cleaner.”
He said even though it’s a passive treatment system, it requires maintenance – the limestone will eventually get coated and will lose its effectiveness, requiring a rebedding of the mushroom soil and limestone.
ance (SCRA) has led the charge to restore local streams, making them suitable for aquatic life and recreation.
SCRA board member Steve Motyka said, “Over the years, students and citizens of our Valley have been educated as to why Shamokin Creek’s aquatic life is depleted and how it can be fixed. Treatment sites have been built, thousands of trees have been planted and tons of trash have been collected. Fish now live in some tributaries where fish haven’t lived for 100 years. Our goal of a cleaner Shamokin Creek has been achieved, but not completed.”
Shamokin Creek is a 32.4-mile-long tributary to the Susquehanna River that runs through 13 municipalities
“
OVER THE YEARS, STUDENTS AND CITIZENS OF OUR VALLEY HAVE BEEN EDUCATED AS TO WHY SHAMOKIN CREEK’S AQUATIC LIFE IS DEPLETED AND HOW IT CAN BE FIXED.
TREATMENT SITES HAVE BEEN BUILT, THOUSANDS OF TREES HAVE BEEN PLANTED AND TONS OF TRASH HAVE BEEN COLLECTED. FISH NOW LIVE IN SOME TRIBUTARIES WHERE FISH HAVEN’T LIVED FOR 100 YEARS. OUR GOAL OF A CLEANER SHAMOKIN CREEK HAS BEEN
ACHIEVED, BUT NOT COMPLETED. ”
SCRA BOARD MEMBER STEVE MOTYKA
About Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance
The Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance is an organization dedicated to restoring the Shamokin Creek to a more natural state.
What is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)?
AMD is the result of exposure of pyrite to water and oxygen. Pyrite is associated with coal deposits and past mining exposed to weathering, releasing iron, other metals and acid to ground and surface waters. When the mines were abandoned the water table rose, allowing the tainted water to reach the surface. Upon reaching the surface the iron converts to iron hydroxide (yellow boy), which settles on the bottom of the streams choking out most aquatic life.
Today, miners and coal operators must comply with more strict government law and regulations, so little AMD results from active mines today. The AMD prob-
lem in the Shamokin Creek Watershed is almost exclusively from abandoned mines. There is no responsible party to clean up the polluted waters. The cleanup of abandoned mines thus falls to local citizens, businesses, and local, state, and federal governments.
We need to take action right now to reduce AMD and treat as many of the sources of contamination to the watershed and its waterways. AMD can be treated by active and passive methods, and the SCRA consults with experts to design appropriate treatments to reduce the acidity and remove metals from our water.
All membership dues and donations received by SCRA are used for community outreach programs and expenses. SCRA officials are not paid for their services.
— Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance Facebook page
from Mount Carmel to Sunbury.
According to SCRA’s website, in 1972, Operation Scarlift reported 54 discharges in the Shamokin Creek watershed, which covers 137 square miles, ranging from intermittent to several million gallons a day. Five remediation plans were proposed, but no water quality treatment resulted from the Scarlift Study.
It wasn’t until 1994 when Dr. Carl Kirby, a Bucknell University Geology professor, was contacted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to assess the Shamokin Creek watershed. David Moratelli, an engineering technician at the Northumberland County Conservation District initiated an assessment and wrote the draft proposal for funding. The resulting project was the first attempt to deal with AMD in the watershed and was completed in 1995. By 1996, community members started meeting monthly and named themselves the SCRA.
Over the decades, SCRA has conducted innumerable field studies and has applied for and received dozens of project-specific grants. Currently, seven people sit on the SCRA’s board of directors and the organization has about 90 members, but as Motyka said, “It’s just not enough. We need more individuals who want to get active in the processes…to share the workload with.”
Having more members would allow the organization to apply for more federal and state grants, too.
In May 2024, SCRA was awarded $367,361 from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to address abandoned mine lands near Big Mountain Road. A DEP press release said the grant will fund the completion of an engineering design and permitting needed to remediate a 660,000-cubic-yard coal refuse pile near the western branch of Big Mountain Road.
DEP also awarded SCRA $422,321 to remove existing box culverts, address underground mine subsidence and restore Quaker Run between Ranshaw and Kulpmont.
Finally, SCRA received $500,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a physical office and hire a full time Community Coordinator. According to Motyka, interviews have been conducted and they plan to head into 2025 with strong momentum.
Motyka said, “The recent EPA Environmental Justice grant of $500,000 has allowed us to hire a full-time Community Coordinator to do outreach and get more people involved, work with other local nonprofits, to focus on not duplicating services and efforts.”
Another priority, according to Motyka, is taking advantage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. About $1.5 billion has been allocated to Pennsylvania. That’s more money than we’ve ever seen before for acid mine drainage, and that will hopefully get us an active treatment site so on the turn of a
switch that plant turns on, and will flow clean downstream. That’s our biggest goal right now,” said Motyka.
With the influx of grant money and increased interest from state and federal agencies, the board expects many new tasks to surface, including: receiving and reviewing bid packages and proposals, communicating with contractors, keeping the public and the media informed, and writing grants and reports.
In an interview with The News Item, Heather Makal, another SCRA board member said,
“It sounds like a lot, and it is, but with more active members who each bring a certain knowledge and skill set, we could dedicate people to manage specific aspects of each grant rather than just two or three people trying to manage all aspects from start to finish.”
SCRA hosts meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area. Learn more at ShamokinCreek.org or by emailing shamokincreek@gmail.com.
Events around Inside PA
Jan. 14-March 5
RE - WRITING THE STREETS 2.0: THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF STICKERS
The Gallery at Penn College, Williamsport
Street art stickers have emerged as a provocative vehicle for self-expression and an effective way to engage passersby. Stickers may be used to “tag” a space, to sell products or services, to publicize social media sites, or to offer social commentary. As one of the most democratic art forms, stickers can be hand-drawn or printed, and are distributed quickly, cheaply, and widely. In an urban setting dominated by commercial advertising, publicly placed stickers, by their very presence, re-write the streets and produce what curator Nato Thompson calls elsewhere “creative disruptions of everyday life.” Incorporating the finest examples from two collectors, Oliver Baudach in Germany and Catherine Tedford in the United States, the exhibition includes more than 900 original, unused stickers grouped by artists, themes, dates and geographic locations.
For more information: pct.edu/gallery
Jan. 19
POCONO WINE AND FOOD FEST
Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg
Join us for an unforgettable day of sipping, savoring, and celebrating all things local. With two exclusive sessions, you’ll have double the chance to indulge in the finest wines and culinary creations from our amazing local vendors. Plus, artisan crafts and wine-related
goodies await!
For more information: shermantheater.com
Jan. 21
WINTER WELCOME
Fero Vineyards and Winery, Lewisburg
Make a stemless wineglass, mug, bowl or pot. Choose the colors, and wheel & wine will fire your artwork and return it to the winery for pickup. The warmth of wine and
Inside PA file photo
Jodi Jordan, right, of Middleburg, hands out finisher rewards to participants of the trail race sponsored by the Mid Penn Trailblazers during 2023’s Snowfest. This year’s Snowfest will be held Feb. 23.
Photo provided
Brooke Woll explains her project 5 Second Rule to fair judges during the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum’s 2018 science fair. Judge Ann Blaskiewicz, second from right, is Community Relations Manager at UGI and judge Madge Schworer is middle school biology teacher at Central Columbia. This year’s fair will be held Jan. 23.
friendship, spiced with pottery! No experience necessary. Call 610-823-3742 for details.
For more information: visitcentralpa.org
Jan. 23
10TH ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR
Bloomsburg Children’s Museum
Students in grades 6-12 are invited to enter a project in the fair that will take place at the Bloomsburg Fire Hall 5-8 p.m. All first award winners in grades 7-12 will move on to a science fair hosted by the PA Junior Academy of Science at Susquehanna University.
For more information: the-childrens-museum.org
Jan. 25
A DANCE TRIBUTE TO POET NARSINH MEHTA
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg
An extraordinary evening of dance and culture as Shree Academy of Arts proudly presents Adikavi Narsinh Mehta. This production is a heartfelt tribute to the revered saint poet Narsinh Mehta, celebrating his timeless ideals of equality, love, and peace. Featuring more than 40 talented local dancers performing Bharatanatyam and traditional folk styles, this production will captivate audiences as it shares Narsinh Mehta’s enduring legacy with our community. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness a stunning dance production that brings culture, history and art together on one stage!
For more information: shreeartsacademy.com
Feb. 1
POLAR BEAR PLUNGE
Downtown Lewisburg
The 21st Annual Lewisburg Polar Bear Plunge will be held on Feb. 1.
For more information: lewisburgpa.com
Feb. 11
WSO MARVELS OF MAJESTY
Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, 220 W. 4th St., 3rd floor, Williamsport
Pianist Byeol Kim dazzles as she navigates the intricate passages of Ravel’s Piano Concerto, blending classical elegance with jazzy flair. Composed after Ravel’s extensive American tour, this concerto reflects his fascination with jazz and his desire to merge it with classical traditions. Feel the exuberant rhythms and infectious energy of Ravel’s creation as it sweeps you off your feet. Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, a work of soaring melodies and majestic themes, written as a tribute to Richard Wagner.
For more information: williamsportsymphony.org
Feb. 23
SNOWFEST
R.B. Winter State Park, Mifflinburg
Break out of the winter doldrums and experience some winter “adventures” at R. B. Winter State Park’s annual SnowFest from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Mid Penn Trailblazers will be hosting their annual 3.5-mile trail race. For more information about this wintry run through the woods email Mid Penn Trailblazers: joelheasley@gmail.com.
Join in the fun in the Environmental Learning Center, where the Friends of R.B. Winter will be holding a silent auction featuring items from many local businesses. Proceeds from the silent auction will be used for programs, events, projects and needs within the park. Come on out and support this effort! Bids must be placed in person at the Environmental Learning Center by 3 p.m. Payment must be made via cash or check only. Check out the Friends of RB Winter State Park Facebook page and website for more information.
For more information: friendsofrbwinter.org
Inside PA file photo
A group plunges into the Susquehanna River during the 2023 Heart of Lewisburg Ice Festival. This year’s plunge event will be Feb. 1.
Photo provided
The Williamsport Symphony Orchestra will perform on Feb. 11.
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