Noted Nature Author Tim Palmer At Otto Book Store Friday, May 17

The World of Weird Words 0
Joseph W. Smith III
- Weird Words
- August 9, 2023
By Joseph W. Smith III Last week, I celebrated the 10th “Weird Words” column with a selection of 10-letter terms. Having thus observed my minor milestone, this week’s installment is devoted to something without which I could never do these pieces: the English dictionary. Back in pre-internet days, when folks always needed books or libraries
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The Solid-Rock Principle of Love 0
Tim Hartzell
- Faith
- August 2, 2023
Jesus didn’t leave behind a lot of words. He wrote no books or articles, left behind no letters or journals, and recorded no podcasts or videos. The only words of Jesus we have are recorded in the New Testament — and mostly in the four Gospels and Revelation. It is estimated that there are 31,000
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Shameless Promotion 0
Steph Nordstrom
- Editorials
- July 26, 2023
One of the best parts of my job is that Jimmy lets me write about just about anything that I want to. So that means if I want to use my space to shamelessly promote something amazing that a friend or family member is doing, he’s cool with it. So that’s what we are going
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50th Anniversary Clinton County Fair Takes Place July 29 to August 5 0
Lou Hunsinger, Jr.
- Local News
- July 26, 2023
The folks at the Clinton County Fair are hoping for a wonderful way to celebrate their 50th anniversary this year as the Fair takes place July 29th to August 5th at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. The Fair was born as a result of several meetings between 1971 and April 1973. In August of 1972, this
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Grit: July 24, 1960 – Cataloging Company to Open City Plant 0
Lou Hunsinger, Jr.
- Old News
- July 26, 2023
By the end of this week Williamsport will be the home of the world’s only commercial book processing and cataloging operation, according to Leo Karpel, administrative librarian in charge of the Alanar Book Processing Corporation, now located in Montgomery. Workmen are now bringing in new equipment to the new headquarters at 1610 Memorial Avenue, the
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“Matilda” The Musical To Be Presented At Community Arts Center July 21 to 23 0
Lou Hunsinger, Jr.
- Local News
- July 19, 2023
“She felt fairly confident that with a great deal of practice and effort, she would succeed in the end.” ~ Matilda Roald Dahl is one of the most beloved authors of children’s books. One of his most popular works, “Matilda,” was adapted into a Tony Award Winning Broadway musical. The Lycoming College Summer Stock Program
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The World of Weird Words 0
Joseph W. Smith III
- Weird Words
- July 12, 2023
As your friendly neighborhood lexicographer approaches another collection of weird words for Webb, Abraham Verghese’s novel “The Covenant of Water” stands at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list. Sales have been aided by the sterling success of Verghese’s earlier “Cutting for Stone,” which spent more than two years on the NYT roster —
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Three Tips for Creating a Summer of Unplugged Fun 0
Family Features
- Uncategorized
- July 5, 2023
Between school, work and entertainment, there are times when screens can seem like a pervasive part of modern life. For all the positive aspects of technology, there can also be a desire for children to have stretches of unplugged learning and participate in educational activities that do not require a screen. Why Unplugged Learning Matters
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Celebrating the 4th!0
Scott Lowery
- Sports
- July 5, 2023
By the time this reaches you, our nation’s 247th birthday celebration will be in the books, and attention focused ahead on the July vacation season. Whatever you may have chosen to mark the occasion, hopefully, it was done safely with a day filled with fun, food, and family. Harking back on my long-ago childhood days,
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The Bookworm Sez 0
Webb Weekly
- Uncategorized
- June 28, 2023
The news last night made you kind of worried. Worried that your guy won’t get into office, and worried that he will. You’re concerned about America and its future, about another insurrection and more divide. Most of all, you fret about towns larger and smaller than yours and what those citizens will do in 2024.
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Brown Library Adds Comics Plus to Online Resources 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- June 28, 2023
The Lycoming County Library System recently added a new online platform for readers of comics, graphic novels and manga called Comics Plus. Comics Plus, powered by LibraryPass, is a digital platform offering thousands of digital comics, graphic novels and manga to readers using a smartphone, tablet, or web browser, and can be downloaded to multiple
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Poppy Campaign Success 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- June 28, 2023
The Milton American Legion Auxiliary poppy committee wishes to thank the members of the Milton community for their generous donations during their recent poppy campaign. They also want to thank the local businesses that allow them to put their collection boxes in their businesses every year as this fundraiser would not be possible without their
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YesterShoppe! Returns to the Taber Museum 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- June 7, 2023
It is quickly becoming a time-honored tradition at the Taber Museum- along with our Lecture Series, History Day Camp for Children, our holiday displays, and Bottles and Brews — it is YesterShoppe! YesterShoppe! is the indoor yard sale at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society which will be held on
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The World of Weird Words 0
Joseph W. Smith III
- Weird Words
- May 24, 2023
Snollygoster. Numpty. Absquatulate. Gonk. Yes, those all are actual words. They’re taken from a list I started years ago, when I was teaching English at Loyalsock High School. Inspired by three students who compiled an oddball vocab list for fun, I instantly began amassing my own; eventually, I turned it into one of our weekly
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Growing and Cooking Pre-Summer Used Book Sale for Konkle Library in Montoursville 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- May 16, 2023
The “Growing and Cooking” Pre-Summer Used Book Sale is Friday, May 19th (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Saturday, May 20th (9 a.m.-2 p.m.) at the Montoursville W.B. Konkle Library on Broad Street. It is time to stock up before summer vacation. Generous donors have provided us with a healthy supply of fardening and cookbooks, so let’s
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Horoscopes 0
Family Features
- Horoscopes
- May 10, 2023
ARIES: Mar 21–Apr 20 Aries, pay attention to the smaller details, as those are the ones most often ignored. You’ll be highly regarded if you pinpoint any errors in a timely manner. TAURUS: Apr 21–May 21 Work to the best of your ability, Taurus. Focus on your own work and serve as a source of
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Strategies to Encourage Kids to Read More 0
Family Features
- Uncategorized
- May 10, 2023
Many adults feel there’s no better way to relax than curling up with a good book. Though a relaxing afternoon of reading may appeal to adults, kids could prove a little more reluctant to crack a book. Children have much to gain from reading and being read to. According to the Children’s Bureau of Southern
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Great Gifts for Moms From All Walks of Life 0
Family Features
- Uncategorized
- May 10, 2023
Mother’s Day is an opportunity to show moms how much they’re loved and appreciated. Though many moms may insist they don’t want anything beyond spending the day with their children, gifts are a big part of Mother’s Day. No two moms are the same, and though standards like flowers and greeting cards will always have
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The Bookworm Sez: “Silver Alert: A Novel” by Lee Smith 0
Terri Schlichenmeyer
- Books, Reviews
- May 3, 2023
You can have whatever you want. So g’wan: buy a new car — heck, buy three of them. Have a vacation home on both coasts and two overseas. Get a new wardrobe for every day of the week, rings for your fingers and toes, go ahead, go wild. You can have whatever you want —
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Feast on Traditional Mexican Cuisine This Cinco de Mayo 0
Family Features
- Uncategorized
- May 3, 2023
Cinco de Mayo is a festive occasion that celebrates Mexican culture and food. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a minor Mexican victory over France that took place on May 5, 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. While it has never been a big deal in Mexico — especially in comparison to celebrations of Mexico’s independence —
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Library Joins Worldwide Digital Book Club 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- May 3, 2023
James V. Brown Library cardholders of all ages can experience Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club, with a National Book Award Finalist novel. From May 3-17, booklovers with a valid Brown Library card join thousands of others around the globe in borrowing Grace M. Cho’s evocative memoir, Tastes Like War, from their
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Williamsport Civic Chorus to Present Spring Concert 0
Lou Hunsinger, Jr.
- Local News
- April 26, 2023
The Williamsport Civic Chorus is one of this area’s oldest and most venerable musical organizations. They have been around for almost 80 years, and it will continue its fine musical tradition with its latest offering — its spring concert titled, “Jazzin’ with the WCC,” which features some of the biggest jazz hits of the ’40s
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More Streaming Choices: Three Picks from CBS-Paramount 0
Joseph W. Smith III
- Cinema, Movies, Reviews
- March 29, 2023
Back in 2020, as a Star Trek fan who particularly loved “The Next Generation,” I paid to stream CBS when Patrick Stewart reprised his beloved titular character in that network’s “Star Trek: Picard.” But I quit after five episodes; this dark new incarnation had boldly gone far astray from the exciting idealism of “Trek” creator
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Library to Celebrate National Poetry Month in April 0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- March 29, 2023
The James V. Brown Library, 19 E. Fourth St., will celebrate April as National Poetry Month. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest
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Strategies to Encourage Kids to Read More 0
Family Features
- Uncategorized
- March 29, 2023
Many adults feel there’s no better way to relax than curling up with a good book. Though a relaxing afternoon of reading may appeal to adults, kids could prove a little more reluctant to crack a book. Children have much to gain from reading and being read to. According to the Children’s Bureau of Southern
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The Bookworm Sez: “All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me” by Patrick Bringley 0
Terri Schlichenmeyer
- Books, Reviews
- March 22, 2023
One hundred eighty degrees. That’s where you want to be after something very bad has occurred. You want as far as possible away from it, miles out of reach, an exact opposite situation, pronto, thank you. A new schedule, different place, rearrangement, anything that’s not that anymore. As in the new book “All the Beauty
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Upward and Onward 0
Paul Petcavage
- Uncategorized
- March 22, 2023
Another Upward basketball season is in the books, and once again, I had just a wonderful time coaching the kids — 4th, 5th, and 6th graders — entrusted to me. I also did a little refereeing of the games I did not coach. In Matthew 19, 14, Jesus said, “Let the children come to me,
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County Hall Corner: Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight 0
Larry Stout
- Government, Politics
- March 8, 2023
“I don’t even know where to start in describing this project.” So spoke Jason Yorks, director for the Lycoming County Resource Management Services (LCRMS), more commonly known as the County Landfill. Jason made this comment while standing at the podium at the Lycoming County Commissioners Meeting on Thursday, February 16th. He was advocating for the
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Black-Eyed Bomb: Marlowe Movie Makes a Mess 0
Joseph W. Smith III
- Cinema, Movies, Reviews
- March 1, 2023
When John Banville wrote his Raymond Chandler tribute novel “Black-Eyed Blonde,” one critic said he not only nailed the style and milieu of Chandler’s 1940s detective Philip Marlowe; he had also captured Marlowe’s soul. As for the new movie based on that book: I don’t think those folks could find Marlowe’s soul if it drove
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The Bookworm Sez: “A History of the World Through Body Parts” by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras 0
Terri Schlichenmeyer
- Books, Reviews
- March 1, 2023
Give the gentleman a hand. He did a good job, and he deserves it. Seriously, someone gave him a leg-up, he jumped in with both feet, and shortly after he put his nose to the grindstone, he found himself rubbing elbows with influential people. He shouldered some responsibility, kept his ear to the ground, and
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Spring Cleaning 0
Dave Bellomo
- Stories
- March 1, 2023
A while back, I wrote some articles about minimalism, which can be defined as a lifestyle characterized by the elevation of only the most important possessions and the removal of everything else. The idea is to lead a life of simplicity that is unburdened by material things. Though each person might define minimalism differently, the
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Cutters Membership Clubs Return in 2023!0
Press Release
- Uncategorized
- February 22, 2023
The Williamsport Crosscutters have announced that memberships in the popular Boomer’s Kids Club and Sr. Loggers Club are now available for the 2023 season. Membership in Boomer’s Kids Club, for kids ages 12 and under, is FREE and presented by Lycoming Candy. Membership includes: – A free ticket voucher for members to every Sunday Cutters
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The Roving Sportsman: The North versus the South 0
Jon Pries
- Outdoors
- February 22, 2023
There are many times that people draw references to the differences between the North and the South. History points out some of the cultural differences and certainly the Civil War brought to head the clash of diverse ideals held by the Confederate soldiers and the Union soldiers, as well as those who supported one side
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