TRICK OR SEAT!?

  

   THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31ST., 2024
               TRICK IOR SEAT!?

    It's Halloween! A time for Witches,
Ghosts, and Scary stories!
    I've covered a lot of scary stories
during my days as a reporter. Of course
some of the most frightening dealt with
politics. They still scare me!
     I also covered a few stories just
perfect to be retold on Halloween.
One involves "the stone couch."
     There's a back road that runs
between the Weatherly area and
Eckley Miner's Village over what
most people know as Buck Mountain.
      In an appropriately desolate
stretch of that road travelers will
come across a huge rock formation
(or carving) that looks very much
like a couch.
      The story of the couch has
numerous versions depending on
who's telling it.
       The one I first heard suggests
that one sitting on the couch will
become ill. If one sits upon it a
second time he or she, or their
family will be involved in a serious
accident.
       The ultimate curse, according
to the legend, awaits those who sit
on the couch a third time. In that
case they will die!
        As an objective reporter I
usually put no stock in these type
of horror stories.
        I can say without question,
however, that part of this story is
real! If you sit on the stone couch,
whether it be once, twice, or a third
time, you will die.
        In fact even if you don't sit on
the couch you will die. The only
question is when?
        I haven't bothered to sit on it
anyway. Just in case!
        Happy Halloween! Hope all
your NEWS is good.

A CHILL IN THE NIGHT!

      

     WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2024

           !A CHILL IN THE NIGHT!

     Halloween is still a day away. But you don't have to wait

for a good scare!
   You may have a chill in store tonight...IF....you observe a
bizarre "holiday" that's scheduled for this pre-Halloween Eve!
   So you're thinking "Mischief Night". right?
   Wrong!
   The chill tonight will be coming from something lurking
right in your own house! It may be behind you as you read
this essay!
    You see October 30th is "Haunted Refrigerator Night!"
     Ruth and Thomas Roy came up with this unusual
observance.
     They suggest there's no need to go out to one of those
"Haunted Houses" when you could have the scare of a
lifetime waiting right there in your Fridge or Freezer!
      You may or may not have been keeping your
refrigerator closed just in case there's a power outage
in your neighborhood.
      But even if you occasionally reach in for a snack or
a beverage there's a good chance it's been quite awhile
since you really checked all of the items buried inside
that cold vault!
      So here's the plan.
      Turn out the lights.  Perhaps a couple of candles
 would be appropriate.
      Gather around your refrigerator this night…open the door
slowly and take in a deep breath…slowly move things around
and see what is lurking in that container or box buried in there!
      With a little luck you're discover a forgotten treat that's
been safely maintained in its cold surroundings.
       Of course there's also the chance you may be growing
your own penicillin on some leftover that's been forgotten
far too long ago. And that, my friends, is SCARY!
       Either way this is a great setting (and excuse) for a
Haunted Refrigerator Party!
       And mark the date on your calendar for next year so
you don't miss it!
       Hope that little light inside is working and that all
your NEWS is good!








































 

WIFI

    TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, 2024

                     WIFI!

  October 29th is "Internet Day!"  It has

been celebrated since 2005 which marked

the first transmission over the internet. Of

course the internet has come under a lot of

fire lately. Them are some who want to see

strick regulations put in place over internet

providers like Facebook. I think the majority

of internet users use in wisely. It has certainly

helped a lpot of people keep in touch with

one another, especially families separated by

great distance. It sure came in handy when

the pandemic hit and the internet provided

one of the only safe ways to provide education

when most schools were closed. And, of course,

the internet provided my forum for this blog 

so, there alone, it proves its worth. Hope you

use it, and wisely, and that all your NEWS is

good.

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2024

      WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

   You hear it asked all the time! "Where

has this year gone?" The summer seems

to have whizzed by! It seems like we should

still be in September instead of near the end

of October. But a visit to a local supermarket

may have provided the answer. I found

the hall where the shopping carts are kept

fully stocked with snow shovels and small

children's sleds! Halloween decorations

could be seen in many shops even before

Labor Day. So now I think I get it. 

Marketing is forcing us to be absorbed 

into holidays and seasonal changes long

before they actually happen! Perhaps it's

time to relax a bit and let time slide by

slowly! Hope you do, that you're well,

and that all your NEWS is good!   

IN HOT OIL!

     FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2024

                IN HOT OIL!

      Some of you will love this unusual "holiday"

I'm about to tell you about. Others may have a

heart attack when they learn that today, October

25th., is "National Greasy Food Day!" It is a

day when you are not to feel guilty about

enjoying some of those foods that have been

know to clog arteries! French fries. Hamburgers

from one of those especially greasy grills. And

let's not forget pizza. A favorite around these

parts that can sometimes be measured by it's

greasy texture! I decided to go another

direction and just have some popcorn. But after

just one handful you could hear me screaming

for butter! Tons of butter! Well, whatever

you choose, enjoy the day and I hope all

your NEWS is good!

TURNING UP THE HEAT ON MERCURY!

      THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024

  TURNING UP THE HEAT ON MERCURY!

   October 24th marks an unusual "holiday"

that you should know about. This is "Recycle

your mercury thermostat day!" Most

thermostats aren't made with mercury

anymore but there are still plenty around

having been installed many years ago. There

was a time when most of them, like

thermometers, contained mercury. That's

a liquid metal that can cause all kinds

of problems when coming in contact

with people. Heck, as kids, we used to

break open thermometers and play

with the mercury on our hands. Now

we know it can poison the central

nervous system, cause fatigue, and

even hallucinations. The hallucination

symptom has my wife convinced I

played with too much mercury back 

in the day! So be safe, recycle your

old mercury thermostat so I know

you're health and that all your NEWS

will be good!

JOHNNY AND ME!

  

     WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD., 2024
           JOHNNY AND ME!

      This is "TV Talk Show Host Day!"
      It's always observed on Johnny
Carson's Birthday. Some of you may
remember him hosting a Talk Show on
NBC a few years back! Guess he did
pretty well!
      While most of my 60-year broadcast
career was spent as a reporter I began
hosting and producing a Talk Show for
Electric City Television not long after
I left the news beat.
       My show was a bit different than the
ones that followed in Johnny Carson's
footsteps!
         These days I  concentrate on

promoting public service agencies 

that offer help to the community.
          I don't offer a lot of comedy,
at least not intentionally. But I guess

a flub now and then may offer the

audience a chuckle!
          Those big network shows
are very scripted. Mine is a lot
more ad lib. Anyhow I am, in my own
very small way, a part of that unique
group entitles to observe TV Talk Show
Host Day.
           Maybe I should find an announcer
to open my show with..."And now,
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeer's David!"
             Hope you'll watch mine
sometime on Comcast channel 19 or on

You tube, and that all your NEWS
is good!
 

NUTS!

      TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22ND., 2024

                        NUTS!

        October 22nd is National Nut Day. So

I'm pretty sure a lot of my friends out

there will be celebrating. I know a lot of

Nuts out there! Several are probably

reading this!

    Unless, of course, this is a day that refers

to the food we know as "nuts." I suppose

that's more likely.

     Nuts are said to be nutritious and healthy.

I probably don't eat as many as I should. But

I do buy Chocolate Almond ice cream. And,

of course, I do so for the health benefits!

      When we were in Hawaii a few years ago

I picked up some Macadamia Nuts. I bought

them because they were Spam flavored! Span

and nuts! How healthy can a guy get?

       I know I had some peanuts this year

too. Problem is....Peanuts are not nuts!

They are Legumes, a member of the "Pea"

family. You could have fooled me. I always

thought Mr. Peanut was a "Nut!"

       There are still plenty of nuts to choose

from so buy a bag or a can and enjoy this

special day even thought there is no

documentation to support the claim this

is a "'National" holiday.

       Hope it's not just a "shell game" and

that all your NEWS is good!   

  

THE MUD RUN DISASTER!

    THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024

       THE MUD RUN DISASTER!

   October 10th marks the anniversary

of a terrible tragedy that happened right

here in northeastern Pennsylvania. Some

10,000 people from Scranton, Wilkes-Barre,

and the greater Hazleton area gathered in

Hazleton on October 10th., 1888 for a

temperance rally in Hazleton. Many of

those participating were Irish immigrants

seeking to destroy the stereotype image

of the Irish as drunkards. When the rally

ended about 5,000 of those attending

boarded one of eight special trains which

would transport them from Hazleton through

a part of Carbon County and then north to

Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. The 7th of those

trains stopped at the Mud Run Station, a small

isolated station in Kidder Township, Carbon 

County. The engineer believed he had plenty

of time until the 8th and final train  caught up.

He was wrong! The final section of train 

appeared as the engineer of unit 7 was oiling 

his locomotive and the two trains collided!

The old passenger cars, made of wood in those

days, were smashed to pieces and immediately

caught on fine! 64 people died in the wreck

and another 50 were injured! It remains one 

of the worse railroad accidents in U.S. history.

And it happened "right in our backyard" on

this date in 1888. Most people around here

known little or nothing about it and the history

behind it. I thought you ought to know...and

remember! Hope you're well and that all your

NEWS is good!

RHYME AND READ!

     SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2024

           RHYME AND READ!

   It's October 5th. That means this is

"Random Acts of Poetry Day!" I

It's a day when people are.

encouraged to come up with their own

poems at random and share them with 

others. It gives me an excuse to read one

of my own poems that I wrote awhile 

back. It's about the thousands of pictures

I've been taking through the years, I call it

       "The Stories My Pictures Tell!

       I find myself looking at photos

   of times that I call "used-to-bes."

   They carry me back to days now long gone.

   And revive loving memories.

   Some that I see show small children.

   That now stand much taller that I.

   Some are of family no longer around

   that may well bring a tear to my eye.

   All make a treasure more precious than gold. 

   But don't lock it away in some case!

   They're meant to be shared and meant to be seen

   So those memories cannot be erased.

    Take new ones whenever the chance comes along.

    So that someday when "this time" is old,

    Others may look at the memories you've shared,

    And learn from the stories you've told.   

    My photos will be here long after I'm gone.

    Please look at them once in awhile.  

    Remember the Love that went into each one.

    Then remember me too, with a smile!   

     That's it! Hope you like it and will enjoy

a poem or two of your own today. I also hope

you're well and that all your NEWS is good!  

 

   THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3RD., 2024
              IT USED TO BE EASY!

  October 3rd is "Walk, or ride your bike, to
school day! 
   It was organized by the organization
Partnership For a Walkable America to build
awareness for the need for walkable communities.
The first observance was in 1997. In 2000 it
became an International Day when Canada and the
United Kingdom joined in the promotion.
   Walking and biking have become very
popular exercises these days. There's a growing
number of trails nearly everywhere. But most
don't go to schools!
     When I was a kid in Hazleton my Grade
school was two and a half blocks from my house.
My Junior High was three blocks away. The
walk to High School was the longest at about
a mile or so. But it was a walk, at least until I
got my driver's license and access to Dad's car.
      School mergers pretty much did away with
neighborhood schools and raised the stock of
companies that make school buses!
        My first ride in a school bus came after I
became a TV reporter and was doing a story
about drivers that don't obey the school bus
laws.
         I think walking to school is a great idea.
If you live next door! The big new schools, you
know the ones that were going to improve
education and save us money by combining
services, are usually located on a couple acres
of land far enough from most homes so as to
make walking a little bit dangerous.
          Of course many of those old buildings
that weren't good enough to be schools anymore
are still standing as apartment or office complexes.
Maybe we could turn them back into neighborhood
schools and get back to the trend of walking.
          Or perhaps the students can be given an
extra half hour to walk around those new schools.
That should give them a mile or two!
           Hope it all works out and that all your
NEWS is good!