Emergency appeal for blood donors

WILKES-BARRE — American Red Cross Blood Services, Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Region issued an emergency appeal for blood donors on June 16 to help alleviate an ongoing and dangerously low blood supply for hospital patients.

NEPA furnishes blood to 41 hospitals in 21 counties in Pennsylvania and three in New York State including Sullivan.

The Red Cross Bloodmobile will visit Sullivan locations including the Liberty Masonic Lodge from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on July 12, the Delaware Valley Youth Center in Callicoon from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on July 13 and the Mamakating Town Hall from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on July 16.

For more information call 800/GIVELIFE (448-5433).

Lumberland’s historic barns

GLEN SPEY — If you live in Lumberland and have an old barn, which has not been inventoried for historic preservation, you should get it done, Town Historian Frank Schwarz said.

To help owners preserve and restore barns more than 50 years old, the town is conducting grant-funded program to identify them. In addition to helping trace and preserve the town’s heritage Schwarz says the program will provide necessary documentation for those seeking preservation/restoration grants.

For more information, contact Schwarz at 845/856-6372.

Summer youth program begins in July

GLEN SPEY — If the kids are complaining about having nothing to do, Lumberland’s Summer Recreation program might be able to help.

The program, based at the town hall, runs through the month of July on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and has separate divisions for younger and older kids.

In addition to crafts and games, the program features a number of field trips including a river trip, summer theater at the Forestburgh Playhouse, a Red Barons’ baseball game, and trips to Fort Delaware and the Bronx Zoo.

The annual program is funded by a 50/50 county-town grant. For more information contact Gurney Schombs at 845/858-2639.

PA announces parks-recreation grants

HARRISBURG — Pike and Wayne county programs were funded among 240 projects statewide in a June 13, $20 million open-space and recreation grant announcement.

In Pike, the county received $30,000 to prepare a project feasibility study and a master site development plan for a three-mile greenway connection for the Pinchot Greenway in Milford. Palmyra Township won $20,000 to renovate Palmyra Township Park.

In Wayne, the Wayne County Historical Society will receive $31,000 to prepare a greenway/master site development plan for seven miles between Hawley and Texas Township, along the D&H Canal Bed, and a 16-acre site to be used for a public park; while Dreher Township won $14,000 to complete a master site-development plan for the 32-acre Carlton Drake Memorial Park.

Elsewhere in the region, the Delaware River Greenway Partnership won $75,000 to develop a water trail from the northern Pennsylvania border to Yardley.

Schweiker lifts drought emergency in Wayne

HARRISBURG — Gov. Mark Schweiker lifted the drought emergency on June 14 for six counties and restored 14 other counties to normal status.

Wayne County was upgraded to drought-watch status, which calls on residents to voluntarily conserve five percent of their daily water usage.

Fourteen counties in southeastern PA still remain in drought emergency status.

NY “don’t call” law fines hiked

ALBANY — Telemarketers, who “won’t take whoa for an answer,” will be paying heavier fines for violating New York State’s “Do Not Call” Telmarketers list.

On June 13 the state announced that fines for violations have been increased from $2,000 to $5,000 per occurrence.

The list provides protection against unwanted telephone solicitation, but does not apply to an existing company customer, or when someone currently is using a company’s service or has purchased a product from a company in the last 18 months.

You can join the registering by a toll-free call to 866/622-5569 or on the web at www.consumer.state.ny.us.