Larry W. Stout has worn lots of hats over the years; a decorated military veteran, ordained pastor, university professor in Europe, and missionary to the former Soviet Union. He has authored textbooks on human resource management and leadership that have been translated into six languages as well as had published two novels. He currently invests his energies as a foster parent and board member for eight different community organizations. He is a native of Montgomery, graduating from Montgomery Area High School in 1970, who married his high school sweetheart Debbie, and together they have raised two sons and two daughters, one of which is adopted, but they cannot remember which one.
Those who follow this column might notice that there have been several articles this year relating to future plans and concerns for Lycoming County. The reason for this is preparation for the approval of the study: “Lycoming 2030: Plan the Possible,” the new Comprehensive Plan for the county. The last plan was done in 2006,
Does anyone ever remember reading a headline that stated, “Airliner Lands Safely at Williamsport Regional Airport”? Of course not. That is not news because that is what is supposed to happen. News is when something bad happens, or unusual, or threatening. This is where the newspaper adage comes from, “When it bleeds, it leads.” It
The result of the Law of Unintended Consequences is that sometimes fixing one problem creates another one. In the 20th century, mental health hospitals were designed to improve on the insane asylum model of the previous century. Unfortunately, supply exceeded demand, and the result was increased neglect of the patients. A movement known as deinstitutionalization
The county commissioners normally meet twice weekly — a work session on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and the regular session at the same time on Thursday. The work session is designed to discuss and review agenda items that would be voted on in the regular session. Because of this, it is more informal in
One of the oldest clichés is that failure to plan is planning to fail. It also just happens to be true. Think of it like checking the weather. If I am out walking and suddenly it rains, I get wet. However, if I checked the weather reports before I left my home, and knew there
San Antonio, Texas, and Williamsport, PA are generally not thought to have anything in common, but there are some general similarities. San Antonio is well known for the Alamo, just as Williamsport is widely renowned for Little League. They also are cities that border rivers, which historically have been both a blessing and a burden.
