School’s Out But the Canadian Wildfires Burn On

Happy first day of Summer to everyone! Our cover date this year matches the Summer Solstice, which to me, is a perfect thing. I couldn’t wait for the first day of summer vacation back in my day; it was my favorite day of school. I’m sure the students in the Loyalsock Township School District felt the same way this year, as they were the last to complete their educational duty, and it almost reached the Summer Solstice. There were smiles from ear to ear as I watched the kids running away from Schick Elementary School as fast as they could last week. And the smiles on the teacher’s faces were even bigger. The longer school year was anticipated as the district is in a construction and improvement phase to its facilities.

With all the kids from Sock finally joining the School’s Out for Summer Celebration, this is a good place for me to remind everybody to keep an eye out for the unexpected. The children have a lot on their minds this time of year and sometimes forget where the sidewalk ends, and the roadways begin. If any type of ball happens to roll out in front of you, anticipate a young person will soon follow.

Whether you’re a child or teacher throwing up that confetti to celebrate the Sum- mer Solstice, here’s a little official data. The exact time for our area is 10:58 a.m. The day length of June 21st makes it the longest sunlit day of the year at 15 hours, 9 minutes, and 6 seconds. The good news is June 22nd is only 10 seconds less. The Summer Solstice marks the point of distance when the sun’s location is the farthest away from our neck of Penns Woods. This allows the most sunlight to reach us, creating the longest daylight season of the year.

This is the opposite of what many think that it marks the closest point of the year to the sun. I know one thing for a fact, I’ll be missing the long days of sunlight in December.

Next up, an update and some thoughts on the Canadian wildfires. There are now 451 wildfires burning, and 220 are classified as out of control. The number of acres burnt is approaching 10 million. Over 600 more American firefighters were reportedly joining the effort to contain the blazes.

Thank God locally, we were blessed with some rain and a changed weather pattern this past week. This alleviated the effects of the wildfires on our area for the time being. It returned the air quality index to almost normal for the time being.

Jim Webb Jr.

One of my greatest frustrations in watching the Canadian wildfire inferno unfold is the blaming of the problem on Climate Change. The governments of Canada and the United States have been more focused on pushing the climate change agenda than actually coming up with a plan of attack to fight the wildfires and sharing this information with the people of both countries. This continued use of climate change as the card to go to when there is an environmental problem is great for the politicians; it is terrible for the people residing wherever these disasters occur.

My intentions with my comments are not to debate the whole climate change idea; it is to point out the fact that no matter what occurs and causes the problem, you still need to deal with it with actions, not words, in the timeliest manner. The introduction of climate change as the sole proprietor of any disaster creates division. The last thing you need in the world of unsocial media is to divide people when people need help. The focus on those most affected gets lost in a world of opinions.

Do you think anybody being displaced or worse by those wildfires in Canada wanted to debate the origin and cause of the fire as they’re fleeing from their home? They want to get the heck out of there and save themselves.

Certain online and network news stations portray situations of disaster as the time to push the climate change agenda. As the disaster is actually occurring, it is the time to inform those being most affected and warn those that may be affected next. Disasters are not the time to create the division witnessed; they are a time for unity, to help, love, and pray for our fellow man.

After humanity helps to save, comfort, and console the victims, there will be plenty of time to investigate and discuss what factored into the disaster; this may include global warming. This obviously should always be done to help prevent and change whatever factors are in causing the event.

It was great to talk to so many of you last week about so many things. The Father’s Day Giveaway is always fun, but I didn’t expect all the comments on Smokey Bear. He is definitely loved locally. Please remember, even though we’ve had some rainfall locally, our area is still about 4” behind.

In closing things out this week, congratulations to Head Coach Tom O’Malley and the South Williamsport Mountaineer Softball nation. The team won its way to the State Final 4. Longtime South Side Coach and Webb Weekly family member Scott Lowery does a great job covering the journey in the pages ahead. His articles combined hit both sides of the emotions experienced by the young ladies. God Bless America.

Little League World Series Job Fair

Come

Temporary World Series positions include:

• Laundry/Housekeeping

• Lifeguards

• Event Staff (1st, 2nd, & 3rd shift)

• Retail Staff

• Marketing Support

• Rec Hall Attendants

Applicants must be 16 years old and pass required background checks.

When: Wednesday, July 12, 2023 from 10 AM to Noon and 5 PM to 7 PM

Where: Lundy Conference Center

245 Route 15 Highway, South Williamsport, PA 17702

Founder

James Webb Sr.

1944-2012

Publisher/Sales

James A. Webb Jr. jwebb@webbweekly.com570-337-0755

Editor Steph Nordstrom 570-337-0759 webbnews@webbweekly.com

Advertising Sales Staff:

Alys Mingle amingle@webbweekly.com 570-419-9826

Charlie Gizenski cgizenski@webbweekly.com 570-419-3334

Classified Sales Jaimie Hoover classifieds@webbweekly.com

Production/Graphic Design

Wes Sones webbads@webbweekly.com

Production/Web Development

Curt Musheno cmusheno@webbweekly.com

From the Editor…

Grocery Savings

Idon’t know about the rest of y’all, but I have been getting killed at the grocery store lately. Egg prices have finally come back down, but everything else seems to be getting more expensive. I spent over $100 at the grocery store this week without even buying any ground beef, chicken, or other ‘high dollar’ items. It’s ridiculous!

Since the inflation rate doesn’t seem to be getting any better, and the foreshadowing of supply chain and transportation issues after the collapse on I95, let’s talk about how we can all save a little money at the checkout. Because we all know that every bit helps, and if you watch your pennies, the dollars tend to take care of themselves.

Make a Meal Plan: If you know what you are going to make all week long, it helps to keep your shopping in check. It also helps you to avoid those last-second mid-week trips to the store where you spend extra money. Preplanning your meals for the week also lets you plan based on what’s on sale.

Shop Alone if You Can: I know this isn’t feasible for everyone, but designate one person to go to the store if you can. This is a ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ situation. Too many people lead to extraneous purchases and extra money spent. Rather than bringing your family members with you to the grocery store, add their requested items to your shopping list in advance so they’ll still get some of their favorite snacks without the risk of added impulse buys.

Buy Generic or Store Brand: There’s no denying that brandname products are more expensive than their generic counterparts. While saving an extra $2 or $3 may not seem like much, saving a few extra bucks on 20 items can add up.

Also, many generic products are manufactured in the same facilities as your favorite name-brand products.

I also understand that there are some name brands that y’all don’t want to give up (like me with my mayonnaise), but give some of the generic brands a shot. Often there is no difference.

Don’t Forget Your Rewards: Both Giant and Weis offer pretty good rewards programs that you should take advantage of. It’s simple to sign up (and free!), and it’s silly not to take advantage of it. Look through fliers to see what products can get you extra rewards for stuff you already need too! I currently have around 400 reward points on my Giant card, which will take $4 off my next trip. It’s not a huge amount, but 4 bucks is 4 bucks.

Use Curbside Pick Up: There is no easier way to staunch impulse buying than not going into the store at all.

Store Hop: We are lucky to have several grocery stores in our area that are reasonably close together. Check the fliers, see what’s cheap and on sale where, and hit a couple to get the best deals. I’m not saying to run all over tarnation to save 50¢ on eggs, but if you do most of your shopping at Giant, but Aldi has chicken breasts on sale for $1.79/ lb., it’s worth the trip up the road! Also, do y’all remember when you could buy chicken breasts for $1.79/lb.?!

Pay attention to prices: Passive shopping ain’t gettin’ it done with this inflation. You should actively assess the prices of the items you buy regularly to know when to pounce on a deal or pass. This technique is as simple as being mindful of what you do while shopping. Pay attention to prices at multiple local stores to learn where deals on certain products are better.

Don’t Forget Your Coupons: Whether you clip them from the Sunday paper or utilize online coupons, USE THEM! That grocery trip I mentioned earlier? My original price for what I bought was $144.05. After my coupons, rewards, and pairing up what I needed with what was on sale, my final cost was $122.74. That’s just over $20 in savings. The whole process took me like 10 minutes! Most stores have an app, so you can add coupons directly to your card without having to clip or cut anything! And don’t forget nongrocery stores. Dollar General offers a $5 off $25 coupon in their app every Saturday, which is great for buying cleaning supplies and household items. They also usually have a ton of coupons in their app for cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and other household essentials. These are just a few things that can help you save some money at the grocery store. It may not save you a ton of money, but as I said before, every little bit helps right now!