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LINDA STAGER
LOU BERNARD
Williamsport native’s ‘Airplane Graveyard’ offers
Pan evocative collection of poems
oetry can be a challenge; it’s not like reading Stephen King or J. K. Rowling
Perhaps that’s why individual poems, along with whole collections, tend to be shorter than stories and novels
It may also be why I’ve never covered poetry in all my years of suggesting “Good Reads” for West Branch Life.
But I can certainly recommend “Airplane Graveyard,” a trim and evocative collection of poems by Williamsport native Bryce Johle.
A 2012 graduate of Loyalsock High School, Johle (pronounced YO-lee) studied writing at Kutztown and now lives in P burgh
“Airplane Grave yard,” due midSeptember from Finishing Line, is a slender “chapbook” of 23 short works focused largely on Johle’s family particularly the author’s troubled relationship with his father
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m remembering all wrong / the things you never did, how tired, how much pain / you were in, so much that you couldn’t be as good / as we needed you to be,” writes Johle in the mid-book “Chemtrails.”
That’s in the book’s strongest poem, “Come from War” which also reflects: “Your heart is unstable, prone to fragmenting / like old live grenades, saved in a shoe box….”
Like the best poets, Johle relies on concrete imagery to carry his ideas Nowhere is this more prominent or poignant than in his father’s collection of old transistor radios, which he had a hobby of fixing and then carefully storing in sealed plastic bags beneath his bed here is a vice designed to communicate, then carefully fixed to preserve this function yet never thereafter giving voice or music
flavor, this piece recalls a broiling summer walk when Bryce and Dad were photographed “braving the heat” for the front page of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Local readers will also relish “A Short Game of Catch, Then Back o Bed” where ohle reflects on is “forgettable orty-eight frames f fame.” That, the author explains, is a reference to his two seconds on screen (24 frames per second) as an extra in the Little League movie “Mickey,” which was filmed in Williamsport 20 years ago
Having served a tough stint in Vietnam and later unable to work due to injury, the elder Johle “still, at seventy-four, / ducks and cowers in fear / at the gunshot of a produce bag / bubbled and popped.”
Thus, as with so much poetry, Johle doesn’t spell out his symbols He just leaves them to expand in the reader’s nd taking on a speesonance in other passages where Dad cannot bring himself to teach his son how to actually repair radios himself; instead, the old fellow leaves careful instructions about what to do with the stash after he’s gone
“I still love and respect my dad,” the author told West Branch Life in a recent interview adding that he wrote so much about him in order to “hash things out” and clarify his own feelings.
One can see this affection in “A High of Eighty-Eight.” With strong Lycoming
As you can see, these poems often require some thinking Indeed, with “Relocation Management” as the book’s challenging opener, it’s almost like you have to fight your way in Yet that is also the case with so many other poems we’ve come to love And as you work, you can read the whole book in an hour or two On my third time through, I felt like I was sitting down with an old friend
And still learning new things.
Joseph W. Smith III is a writer, teacher and speaker in Central Pennsylvania His latest book is “The Best Movies You Never Saw: 300 Underthe-Radar Films That Were Overlooked, Unjustly Trashed -- or Just Plain Terrific " robbwhitefan@gmail com
Currents >>>>> viewing pleasure
WBy NICK SEITZER West Branch Life
hen Brendan was around 1 years old, he found himse walking down a hallway in his middle school, when he overheard a “rat-a-tat-tat" coming from one of the classrooms. With the door left ajar, Hill peeked into the room to see a schoolmate practicing rudiments on a snare drum, and then kept on walking. But after continuing down the hallway for a few more minutes, he made the decision to reverse course and ask the student how he, too, co get involved with playing the drums
The rest is history. Ever since tha Hill has been obsessed with every a p being a drummer. Whether it's practicing, writing, recording or performing live he loves it all.
over 10 million albums worldwide and played more than 2,000 live shows.
His dedication to the instrument has led Hill on a journey most musicians only dream of. As a longstanding member of the blues rock jam band Blues Traveler, Hill has enjoyed a 37-year career with a group that has sold
I f weeks, area fans will get the o see Hill and his Blues Traveler mates perform in person, when they y at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the ommunity Arts Center, 220 West ourth St. The show, which will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album “Four,” marks the group’s first trip back to Williamsport since it performed at Lycoming College in 1998.
“It’s just really fun to be out here (touring),” Hill said. “We have been doing it for a while, and it kind of boggles my mind that we ave been doing it this long, but it esn’t feel that way. When we are on stage together g, I still feel like I’m in my twenn still close my eyes and remember g f performing for a crowd for the first time,” he added. “Then, when I open my eyes, people are singing the choruses of our songs. It just blows me away every time.”
With roots in Princeton, New Jersey, Blues Traveler originated as a high school rock band whose original members John Popper (lead vocals, harmonica), Chan
Kinchla (guitar), Bobby Sheenan (bass), and Hill (drums) rehearsed in Hill’s parents’ basement, until they eventually moved to New York City following graduation. To this day, the band retains most of its original lineup, except for Sheenan, who died tragically from an accidental drug overdose in 1999. Filling Sheenan’s role in the band since his passing has been Kinchla’s younger brother, Tad Kinchla. For the last 24 years, the band’s lineup has also included keyboardist Ben Wilson, who joined the group after nailing an audition.
Hill said in the early days of Blues Traveler, it felt like the group was on a musical adventure together; and everything the members did served the purpose of furthering the band’s success. Cutting their teeth in small bars, clubs and frat parties, Blues Traveler endured an intense touring schedule until they were ultimately discovered by talent scouts at A&M Records as well as manager David Graham, son of famed concert promoter Bill Graham.
“We were very fortunate and lucky, but I think we kind of hedged our bets with John being so special in his ability to do something extraordinary with the harmonica, and also his ability to sing he has a very unique and powerful voice," Hill said. “He’s also a great songwriter with very catchy lyrics that are funny. It’s something that people can remember but it also makes people think a little bit.”
By the time the group’s most wellknown album, "Four,” was released, Blues Traveler had already recorded three other LPs and seen some success with regular rotation on college
viewing pleasure
radio stations. But when “Four” finally hit the airwaves with singles like “Run-Around” and “Hook” in 1994, the band skyrocketed into a mainstream level of fame.
The popularity of “Four” didn’t catch the band completely off-guard, however, as Hill said the group and its producers suspected during the recording process that some of the songs “Run-Around” in particular would connect with an audience.
“We weren’t trying to make songs that would be on the radio or anything like that, but you could tell during pre-production,” Hill said. “The producers we were working with, they kind of looked at each other like, ‘That song might be something we should work on.’ That song they really kind of highlighted as being very catchy and upbeat. It had a very foot-tapping tempo and the lyrics were just very catchy.”
When Blues Traveler makes its way to Williamsport in October, fans can expect to hear the biggest hits from “Four,” as the group always feels obligated to play them, and also the deeper cuts from the album that many in attendance might be less familiar with.
"We try to make every show different. We rotate the setlist, and each band member gets to write a show we go round-robin with that,” said Hill. “Each of us has our own favorites from the ‘Four’ album and the other cataloged albums. When you have a large catalog, you do kind of have to choose carefully because you don’t want to do something completely obscure.
“But that is kind of the fun thing about still being in the band that
we have known each other so long and we know each other musically so well that we are able to slip in and out of songs, and allude to songs,” he added. “That’s what makes our concerts such an enjoyable and fulfilling part of our career.”
One of the highlights of any Blues Traveler show is when Hill gets to sprinkle in one of his drum solos. In these moments, he likes to build things up slowly before taking the audience on a three-minute “percussion journey.”
“I try to get into a flow,” Hill said of his drum solos. “I try not to think too much, and I just try to let it be an extension of what I’m feeling in that moment.
“I think the best thing a musician can do is practice, practice, practice; but then when you are performing, kind of forget all that and get lost in it, and get into a flow,” he added. “That is what feels the most natural.”
When asked why Blues Traveler has been able to enjoy the longevity and cohesiveness that it’s seen, Hill credited the group’s overall commitment to the music that they make and the family-like atmosphere they’ve cultivated amongst the members.
“The five of us create something unique on stage and if any of the members weren't there it would be different,” he said. “There is that connection that we have on stage that keeps us all together. To borrow a phrase from John’s song, ‘The hook brings you back.’”
For more information on the upcoming Blues Traveler performance in Williamsport, visit caclive.com or call 570-326-2424.
This is My Quest helps people find strength in the wild
TBy LINDA STAGER West Branch Life
ravis McConnell sipped his coffee at a local restaurant as we chatted with Rose Anna Moore. We were discussing the programs provided by This is My Quest (TIMQ), Moore's non-profit organization, based out of Wellsboro
TIMQ is an organization whose heart is based in conservation, education and remediation. Those are fancy words for helping people heal from what hurts them using the outdoor experience
McConnell offered some thoughts about his veteran’s program, “Veterans in the Wild ”
“People can deceive other people. You can fake it and put a smile on your face, even when you're hurt,” he said. “Nature and animals you can’t lie Everything you feel comes out, and there is no deception there. So, if you go into the woods or the barn, in my case, you can come to grips with whatever is there.
“Everyone has a story,” he added “You never know what demons someone else is dealing with.”
Moore added, “I’ve found, through most of my experiences, whether it is climbing a mountain or some other challenging experience, when you do it, and you succeed, it’s so healing and rewarding It builds you up so much. It makes you stronger. You think you can’t do it, but you really only know a fraction of what you can actually do.”
These are the voices of experience McConnell is a veteran who struggles with the trauma of his military experience. He knows the camaraderie of the military brotherhood, but he also knows the depth of pain and loneliness of civilian life afterward He is a survivor, with good and bad days
Moore, too, is a survivor. She has had more than her share of painful life experiences but has found her strength in the outdoors so much so that she was one of the Season 8 stars of the hit TV show “Alone ” She tested her resilience during that televised survival experience and came back in triumph and with trauma
Back home afterward, Moore created a non-profit, board-run volunteer program that offers outdoor experiences to those who might not have easy access to them In a subtly tiered program, she reaches out to women, children, and veterans. On one level, she and her volunteers teach outdoor
skills that encourage confidence in their participants and at a deeper level, they use those experiences to listen to people’s stories, build resilience, and help them heal And they do it over time: the relationship drives the commitment and the healing.
The “Women’s Outdoor Culture Camp,” another of TIMQ’s programs, is in its third year It brings up to 100 women together for a weekend of learning and introspection
“When I’m out there in the woods, I’m the most okay It’s harder to build a fire, prepare and cook your food, and clean up afterward It’s more work there, but it’s simpler It’s natural Being there and being safe is healing. We have an excellent women’s camp And we’ll be doing it again next year ” Rose said
The stories continue. One is about a disabled veteran, helped by the program to access the outdoors and some of the things he loves again along with some extra help with community care We talk about the needs of the “invisible people” in the community and how all of us can help
McConnell shared a story from an April weekend on Pine Creek “It’s pouring down rain, and we are standing under a tarp, sitting by the campfire, sharing stories. When we think back about that trip, it's not the
LINDA STAGER/West Branch Life
Rose Anna Moore speaks at a womenʼs weekend hosted by her non-profit organization, This is My Quest. The organization is a board-run volunteer program that offers outdoor experiences to those without easy access to them.
weather we think about It’s the time with the people who were there. I think a lesson from trips like that is that it's important to remind people that even though it might not be ideal, there is value to it ”
And then there are the youth programs, including Youth Archery, Trout in the Classroom, the Green School, Project Learning Tree, Supergirl, and the upcoming Honey Harvest Festival on Sept 27-28, to name a few
Someone once said that TIMQ is a wildfire of energy and ideas That’s a good description of how it spreads a vision to people with something in common a desire to build confidence and, in many cases, heal using the outdoor experience.
Moore and her amazing (and tireless) Board’s CETR program (Conservation Education through Remediation) received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence this year.
But there is so much more that is excellent there These programs, together, help people become better versions of themselves, one caring outdoor experience at a time
Would you like to help or want to know more? Visit www thisismyquest.org.
Linda Stager, of Wellsboro, is an award-winning outdoor writer and photographer Her stories and photos are often showcased in a variety of publications, including the Williamsport SunGazette She is also the author of the “Pine Creek Rail Trail Guidebook,” a 206-page guide to the 62-mile highly acclaimed rail trail that runs from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore You can learn more about her at www.lindastager.com and can reach her at lstager021@gmail com
scenes of the season
Northern lights at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, seen in the sky over
Wolf Township. The diagonal band of light area is the Milky Way.
DAVE KENNEDY/WEST BRANCH LIFE
Making Waves >>>>> first responders
LINDA STAGER West Branch Life
The crackle of the fire scanner wasn’t background noise for Cindy Frost when she was a kid in Westfield; it was a familiar call to action. Frost remembers her dad, Ernie Quakenbush, the local fire chief, sharing his love for public service at all hours of the day. She also remembers him rushing out of the house to give others a second chance in the face of catastrophe As Frost sits in the Wellsboro Firemen’s Ambulance Station, she’s ready to carry on her family’s heritage; responding to someone else’s urgent need is part of her DNA
“My dad was a hero,” Frost said. “He was the fire chief for 15 years, and a fire instructor; and people still talk about his skills. He was good.
“Growing up, we never gave it a thought if dinner was interrupted by a fire call,” she added “Mom would say, ‘We’ll keep the dinner warm for you, Ernie,’ or on Christmas Day, ‘Kids, we’ll open your presents just as soon as Dad gets back home ’ It was a way of life that we didn’t question Someone needed him.”
These days, Frost skillfully follows in her dad’s footsteps as a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) She may be diminutive in size but not in personality or talent Now, in her early 60s, she’s a master's-level social worker She works fulltime as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and is among the top 10 recognized local volunteer ambulance service responders
Why does she do it? Frost relates it to her upbringing and her personality, similar to her dad's Five years ago, she decided she wanted to join the ranks of local volunteer EMTs. But before that, she had a long commitment to community service Her social work training and career often put her in the middle of a human crisis She knew how to help.
When a drunk driver killed a family of small children and their father, there was a need for the first responders to process their feelings afterward. A CISM Team (Critical Incident Stress Management Team) was formed, and Frost was among the first to step up. She was needed and never hesitated to respond Eventually, Frost and her father would serve on the team together, an experience she still cherishes Since then, Frost and the CISM team have consistently helped those who help others so selfishly Talking about and processing emotional re-
Above, Cindy Frost stands in the
holding her and her fatherʼs fire helmets. On page 13, a
paignʼs grandfather hangs in his locker at the fire department.
sponses to incidents is imperative to the health of everyone who responds to traumatic events
It seemed natural that She would become state and nationally certified as an EMT She had the skills and caring personality to deal with medical crises A trained social worker volunteering as an EMT is a powerful gift to the community.
“Sometimes, I know the person we’ve been called to help That happens in a small town like ours,” she said “But I know that I can be there for them and comfort them in a scary situation
Doug
“My son was a first responder for a time and struggled with a call he had been on at one point I told him then, ‘You may be the last voice they hear Be kind Be there ’”
Across the street, young Levi Champaign, 15, and his dad, Doug, were sitting in the Wellsboro Fire Department building talking about being volunteer firefighters Doug is 40 now, a parent who has always been active in community groups: a Boy Scout, football player, and firefighter as a youngster; a volunteer who keeps stats for the high school football team and a fulltime paramedic for Susquehanna EMS now
LINDA STAGER/West Branch Life
Wellsboro Firemenʼs Ambulance Station while
photo of
Cham-
Levi is a junior firefighter Like his dad, he applied as soon as he could, at age 15. Both of these men know the danger of what they are called to do Doug, the parent, worries about putting his son in harm’s way, but like Cindy, it's in their heritage
“Growing up, when the pager went off, it was ‘Dad’s gotta go,’” Doug remembered. “ When I became a teenager, and my mom became involved with the ambulance, and my dad was with the fire company, I knew I would follow in their footsteps ” Levi nodded and added, “It's just something I have always wanted to do, too. I feel like I have to do it- to help protect people.”
Frost and the Champaigns work tough jobs Doug was honest: “Every time you go out there, you’re being traumatized Self-care is a real thing You have to find something to help you work through your feelings: a hobby, quiet time, or an understanding person who will listen We have to talk things out; you can’t let it chew you up. But there is a bigger cause that makes it all worth it.”
Doug reflected, “Anybody I have
first responders <<<<< Making Waves
come across is suffering But if I do my job and get them to the right place, we all do everything right, then we have helped them to the best of our ability We did our part That is all we can do.”
Levi follows in his dad’s, granddad’s and great-grandad’s footsteps
The Champaign family are local heroes in fire service: from Hugh to Rick, to Doug, and now Levi Frost has also taken up her family’s legacy, filling her dad’s big shoes, so to speak, and helping people get through their worst moments
These responders carry the heritage of their family’s service to their communities. Frost holds dear her father's fire helmet and his awards for service He rides with her in spirit on every call. Doug’s father's photo in full fire gear is in his department locker, where Doug can feel his courage every time he suits up
These folks are heroes in their own way But they also carry generations of their families’ service before them.
It’s in their DNA to risk themselves to protect us all
Making Waves >>>>> adoption
First off, I want to warn you, this is not going to be an objective article
I’m writing about families who have adopted for November, which is National Adoption Month And there’s just
no way I can be objective about it My own son is adopted, and I’m a huge fan of adoption
My son, Paul Matthew, turned 10 over the summer For the last 10 years, my family has been happier and better off because he’s one of us And other families feel the same way; adoption is a special event in a family.
Families like Aaron and Jody Russell, of Lock Haven, and their sons, Dylan and Andy
“As a collegiate coach, I have had hundreds of young men and women on my teams that I coach at Lock Haven University,” said Aaron. “Because I was always dealing with my ‘kids’ at work, I didn’t really think that I wanted children of my own Jody, a professor at LHU, has always been amazing with kids but was satisfied being ‘Mama Jod’ to her students and my athlete
“One year in particular, I had six or seven on my team
who were all adopted,” he added “I like to get to know my student-athletes, as well as their families At one point, the mother of one of my student-athletes asked me when I was going to adopt. I was taken aback, and asked why she thought I wanted to adopt? She responded that I asked so many questions about it that she naturally assumed Jody and I were exploring the idea.”
Bringing up the idea to Jody while out on a drive, Aaron was only slightly surprised when she agreed before he even got to the end of the explanation. After that, it took some time to figure out how to proceed. They decided to adopt boys if possible, and give siblings a chance to stay together. After some research, they discovered an organization called Bethany, based in State College. Typically, the process of matching with a child for adoption takes considerable time, and the Russells were no exception Getting clearances, sifting through hundreds of photos of possible children, and sending their information to organizations was lengthy and discouraging And finally, one day, they
PHOTO PROVIDED
Aaron and Jody Russell, of Lock Haven, sit with their sons, Dylan and Andy. The boys moved into the Russellʼs home on Dec 23, 2018, and were officially adopted by them nine months later
saw a photo of a toddler and his older brother in front of a train.
“Almost on cue, we received a call about Dylan and Andy months after first seeing their picture We hosted the boys for a respite weekend, which only solidified our decision to pursue the boys,” Aaron recalled. “After another round of interviews, we were selected to foster the boys. On December 23, 2018, the boys moved into our home, and nine months later the adoption process was finalized
“Adopting our boys has been the most challenging thing either of us have ever taken, but also the most rewarding,” he said “At times we find ourselves asking what we did to fill our time before the boys joined our family We have been blessed throughout this process, and our boys have filled a void in our hearts that we didn’t originally recognize was there ”
Domestic adoptions are one thing, but some adoptions are more complicated because they are international This was the case for Jack and Stacey Rhoades, of Montoursville
“My husband John (Jack) and I became older parents when we adopted our daughter, Brynn Anne Mingla, in China on December 27, 2010,” said Stacey. “She was 11 months old when she was placed in my arms and was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen even with a big boo boo on her forehead! It was instant love and she completed us Unless you have adopted, you can’t explain the overwhelming love and belonging that overcomes you. It is truly magical and Brynn was meant to be a part of our family ”
After watching a documentary about the thousands of baby girls abandoned in China, the couple found an agency and applied That was in 2006 After having been told that the process would take nine months or so, everything slowed down, and it wound up taking four and a half years
In November of 2010, the family received a call from the adoption agency about a nine-month-old girl waiting for a home
“From that moment on, she was ours,” said Stacey. “We had a zillion things to take care of before we could go and get her but we left on December 23, 2010 and flew to Beijing, China After Brynn was placed in our arms in
Nanchang, China, it was a flurry of activity and bonding for two weeks in China to finalize the adoption During that time we also got to know the culture and we continue to try to celebrate Chinese culture with her. Every year we would celebrate Chinese New Year and she would share handouts and fortune cookies with her classes in elementary school.”
John, sadly, passed away unexpectedly in 2020, and Stacey has continued as a dedicated single parent since then She said,” Although Brynn at times wonders about what life would have been like in China, she has fully embraced life as an American and I don’t think she would want to change a thing except the loss of her father in 2020 ”
We adopted my own son, Paul Matthew, from New Orleans in 2014 We’d been with an agency called American Adoptions for about a year and a half, and were matched with a birth mother named Brittany At the end of June, we got a call that she was going into labor, and we jumped in the car to
drive down In the car the next morning, we got the call that Paul had been born, and we arrived 14 hours later
We were tied up in Louisiana for two weeks while the legal items were sorted out, and then brought Paul home to Pennsylvania Because of a quirky Louisiana law, we had to return to New Orleans to go to court one year later, and the judge finalized the adoption.
Ten years later, my boy is thriving I’m very close to Paul, and he’s growing up to enjoy soccer, basketball, scary movies, and dancing. We spend a lot of time together, and I’ve become a big fan of adoption. I can’t imagine our lives turning out any other way
Lou Bernard is a freelance writer and paranormal investigator He serves as the field leader for the Lock Haven Paranormal Seekers He lives in Clinton County with his wife, son, and two dogs
Dockside >>>>> eats and drinks
Quitting his job and selling empanadas was mostly a joke that Orlando RodriguezPolanco would tell his grandfather for years, but two years since he took a leap and met a demand he saw in the area, the Empanada Shac a staple in the local food truck scene
When Rodriguez-Polanco de cided to pursue his small busine renting out adventure sports equipment in the area, he was frequenting a lot of events
“I realized so many people were there for the food,” Rodriguez-Polanco said. “I was handing out flyers and getting a little business, food tru had lines across the street ”
Rich Port Adventure Compan driguez-Polanco’s other busines kayaks, paddle boards, bikes, and similar equipment in the area When the company had its first River Festival, they had difficulty finding food vendors, so Rodriguez-Polanco told his wife, Jessica, they should try empanadas
food business, but his experience operating Rich Port Adventures for the past five years has helped, he said
“That was the entry to my business experience,” Rodriguez-Polanco said “We started out as a part-time, seasonal thing while I worked full time and with the food truck, this is now our full
ginnings of the Empanada Shack was a DIY startup, ordering a tent and a fryer on Amazon a few weeks before the first event “It was really created on the fly,” RodriguezPolanco said After that first event, they were asked to rent a pavilion and vend at Watsontown’s Fourth of July.
“That day we had a line for hours,” Rodriguez-Polanco said. That was the day I decided that needed to find a trailer and estruck A few months later we found the right deal and packed all our tent gear in the trailer and started rollin’ ”
Together with his wife, Jessica, Rodriguez-Polanco has expanded many aspects of the business to become an in-demand truck on the growing local food scene
“It’s just because I love empanadas, honestly,” RodriguezPolanco said “They’re my favorite But I never thought it would come to fruition like it has.”
Rodriguez-Polanco never had any experience running a
“Everyone knows me as the empanada guy, but my wife is the real MVP,” he said “She cooks up all the fillings and she’s the reason things taste good. I just go out and roll it up and take care of the customers while she takes care of our
kids She’s the heart and soul behind everything we do ”
In the two years since Empanada Shack has started, they’ve made huge changes and upgrades to the trailer
“I get super stoked on things like new fridges,” Rodriguez-Polanco said “Slowly but surely we’ve added things to make our operation more efficient ”
Improving the business and maximizing efficiency has given the business time to look back at the progress made in such a short time
“We have highlights everyday,” Rodriguez-Polanco said “I get excited when people try us out and they’ve never had empanadas, then they come back to tell us how much they loved them. That’s the highlight of everyday, just putting people on to new food that they didn’t know they loved ”
Looking ahead, the Empanada Shack is eyeing expansion and keeping the legacy strong.
“My hope for the future is to have two more trucks, at least,” Rodriguez-Polanco said “I have two really cool ideas I want to see happen and to keep them going so that my sons can take them over when they get old enough ”
Seth Nolan is an English and Literature teacher at St John Neumann Regional Academy He is a former Williamsport Sun-Gazette staffer, having worked as a reporter and editor on the night desk He is now a correspondent for the Sun-Gazette
