The World Turns Upside Down - Boscov's Moves Into Lehigh Valley Mall

-The Morning Call

Ken Lakin is beaming as he stands outside the main entrance to the Lehigh Valley Mall, and it's not because of the balmy, springlike weather.

''We've been trying to get in here for 30 years,'' the chief executive officer of Boscov's Department Stores said. ''It's really a thrill to be here.''

Boscov's, the Reading area chain, said this month it would buy the Strawbridge's store at the Whitehall Township mall. Bos-

Boscov's will buy 10 mid-Atlantic stores from Federated Department Stores — the largest single growth burst in Boscov's 85-year history.

Interesting Creed

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

I didn't say that - but I wish I did.

Ponce de Leon, DeSoto, not Balboa and Harry Everhart Discover the Fountain of Youth in Florida

After slugging it out through rugged Northern Florida Woods, Harry Everhart like his European ancestors before him searched for and discovered the Fountain of Youth in Florida. It took a year of chainsawing, stump grinding, clearing brush, chipping, and shredding - but you can finally promenade from the house to the lake. The land was covered with thick mixed groves of pine, live oak, palm, magnolia, and camphor trees. The worst part was the thick underbrush and invasive exotic plants - the ground was laced with roots and vines. There is still a lot of work to do - grading - planting - cultivating - landscaping.

DeSoto may have drawn water out of our lake. During the winter of 1539 - DeSoto made his winter encampment about one half mile up Seminole Drive in DeSoto Park. Isn't it funny that he found a campground in a park that had the same name as he did. It is sort of like Nancy "the FSU Seminole" finding her dream house on Seminole Drive with some of her friends living just down the street. One can just imagine DeSoto saying, "Let's plant some of these bushes with the little red berries on them to give Harry fits when he tries to clear this area out."

See DeSoto's Camp just up the street

Leon County - the home of Tallahassee is named after Ponce de Leon. Many explorers of America passed through this area searching for the Far East. If they would have just looked a little harder - they would have found a great Thai restaurant less than a mile west of here on Monroe Street.

Life is stranger than fiction. Ponce de Leon was the name of the first police officer that was killed in action in Tallahassee. He was killed on the day that we moved into Tallahassee in 1988 when Nancy started her doctoral studies here. There were over 200 police cars in that funeral from all over the state.

We have plans to put a workshop behind our home to take advantage of our new view of the lake. Will our posterity realize all the sweat and suffering that occurred here so that they could paddle boat on the lake - listen to the owls in trees - and see the turtles line up on the logs - and watch "Norman listening to the loons on Golden Pond?"

FSU's Derrick Brooks Pro-Bowl MVP in Hawaii

Former Florida State linebacker, and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Derrick Brooks was named MVP of the Pro Bowl after he intercepted a Trent Green pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. The Pro Bowl is held every February in the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Aloha Bowl is famous for having the world's only moving spectator stands. The stadium has four sections - and they are moved on air cushions from football to baseball configuration.

Johnson Leads Seminoles Past Minutemen, 73-63

Al Thornton - Top
Alex Johnson - Bottom
Alexander Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Sunday as Florida State pulled away in the second half to take a 73-63 victory over Massachusetts. The 6-10 Johnson dunked on his own miss with 10:59 left to give the Seminoles a 47-45 lead - and they never looked back on their way to consecutive victories for the first time in a month, leading by as many as 16 at 72-56 with 2:53 left.

The game was a 5:30 PM Sunday start. Nice crowd. Nancy and I got in on free tickets. We sat on the sidelines in about row 10. It was cold and windy at game time - 49 degrees and sunny. Everyone was bundled up as if it were winter.

Now That You Sold the Saturn - Where are you going to go? - We're Going to Greensboro!

Nancy just booked rooms at the fabulous Motel 6 in downtown sunny Greensboro. On March 9th to the 12th is the ACC basketball tournament and we expect the FSU Seminoles to make some noise. So Nancy went on the net looking for hotel rooms at the biggest event in ACC sports - the basketball tournament in the Greensboro Coliseum. She was surprised that "hotel rooms" could be gotten so cheaply - that she went back on and booked another room - just in case friends wanted to come along.

Now the hard part - finding tickets. This will be a challenge - finding cheap tickets at this event. Keep an eye on this blog to see if Harry and Nancy fall flat on their faces - and end up watching the games on their 19 inch hotel TV enjoying their free coffee maker in room.

Tickets will be at a "super-premium" because this is the first year where there are 12 teams in the ACC.

Who Do You Distrust More - Harry or a Used Car Salesman?

On Wednesday - our good friend Darrell (FSU professor with Nancy) - asked me if I would sell his old car for him. He bought a new car and just didn't need the old one. He told me what he paid for it one year ago and I was amazed. He asked me to clean it up and market it. He said I could keep any money I made over what he paid for it.

So I spent 3 hours - washing - scrubbing - shampooing - polishing - waxing. I put up a web page - and put an ad in the paper for $22. I also put a sign in it out in front of our house. On Thursday - when the newspaper ad appeared our phone was ringing off the hook. When folks called - I would tell them the pros and cons of the car. The second guy that came to drive it bought it - full price. He was so tickled that he beat all the others to the punch. So far - 26 people called about the car!

The buyer paid cash - one hundred dollar bills - Darrell signed the title -and the deal is over.

The car was a 1997 Saturn with 97,000 miles - it had a big dent in the hood. The car ran like a bandit - 5 speed - lots of pep - 30 miles par gallon. The neatest part was it had a fiberglass plastic body. It shined like new.

I got $1200 more than we expected in one day. Oh yes - and "thrifty" Harry called the newspaper up and got $9 back when he cancelled the ad. Now who do you trust more?

Do you remember the movie five years ago featuring Nicholas Cage called "Gone in 60 Seconds"? How about "Gone in 24 hours!"

Here is the Sales Ad

FSU Beat Georgia Tech in Last Two Minutes - GT led by as many as 14 in the Second Half

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Alexander Johnson led the Seminoles (14-6, 5-5) with 14 points, including a slam dunk that tied the ragged contest at 77 with 2:06 left.

Andrew Wilson's 3-point shot with 1:31 left capped a 24-9 finish Thursday as Florida State defeated Georgia Tech 80-79, handing the Yellow Jackets their eighth consecutive loss.

Neither team managed to score in the final 91 seconds and Jeremis Smith's desperation shot from midcourt bounced harmlessly off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.

Georgia Tech (9-12, 2-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) got the ball back for that final shot with 4.4 seconds left after Florida State's Ralph Mims missed two free throws. Mims had made 39 of 42 tries this season before the misses.

Wilson, a sixth-year senior from the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Ga., made 3 of 5 tries from 3-point distance and finished with 10 points.

Nancy and I attended on "complimentary tickets."

FSU Hosed at Duke by Refs

Alex Johnson - Florida State University's star power player did too good of a job of covering Duke's Shelden Williams. The refs - who often favor the Duke Blue Devils in close games - decided to retire Johnson early. After getting fouled to the floor - Shelden Williams got up and tried to pick a fight with Alex - Alex put his hands up and turned away - but it did not stop the refs from calling two fouls on Johnson - one for the hack - and a technical for fighting. Johnson fouled out at that moment. Duke went on to win the game in overtime without Johnson's help. The next day - the ACC suspended the refs for a game - but the damage was done. Duke - unfairly got the victory. The whole thing plays to a national consensus that referees favor Duke almost all the time. In this game Duke got to shoot 43 fouls versus FSU only shooting 11. If Duke did not get all those "free" calls - they would have lost by 20 points on their Cameron Arena home floor.

I like Duke - but fair is fair.

I predict that in the NCAA tournament - where you lose one game and you are done - that a couple of refs will decide to make a name for themselves - and unfairly end Duke's and Shelden's season.

....And unfair is unfair.

Florida A&M Band Performs at Grammys

This band practices less than one mile from our house. They are the only American band to be asked to perform in the Bastille Day Parade in Paris. Now they have gone to Hollywood. They are one of the top attractions here in the Capitol City.

LOS ANGELES - Members of the Florida A&M Marching 100 were more than a little star struck as they rubbed elbows with superstars like Jamie Fox and "Konyay" West on Wednesday at The 48th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

But when their curtain call came, it was time for business. If the Grammy Awards is the Super Bowl of awards shows, the guys were tuned up and tuned in. Just before leaving his dressing room at the Staples Center and after shining his tuba like his 1984 Buick Regal, Miami native Jean-Paul Ralph asked the production crew, "Are You Ready for Us?"

Ben Houser Staying With Jack Nicklaus in New Zealand

Ben Houser - my Macintosh buddy from Tamaqua - likes to go to New Zealand every winter to fish. Many years ago - he met Jack Nicklaus there at the Cedar Lodge - and they have been fishing together ever since. Ben sent this picture of his family and Jack's family at the dinner table in Cedar Lodge. Ben asked me if I knew the other guy at the table. I said no - but I noticed that Ben was on his third glass of wine. You may re-call Ben from when he was starring in "Weekend at Bernie's" on our trip to the Florida Keys.

See Ben in New Zealand

See Ben and Carol Houser's great pictures from New Zealand -

Ben's Pictures

Today Harry is Retired Three Years

It seems like yesterday that Nancy had my big retirement party - but it was three years ago. You all know the story of how Harry retired on his 55th birthday. Panther Valley School District - where Harry worked - offers Blue Cross Medical Insurance to retired teachers and their spouses for free when they retire at age 55. That was a great incentive.

Since then - Harry and Nancy sold their Tamaqua chalet and moved to Tallahassee where Nancy was recruited to be a professor at Florida State. Also during that time Drew and Robin were married in Balitmore. Drew earned his doctorate at the University of Miami and Keith earned his Masters at Florida State University.

During the past three years - Nancy and Harry have visited the following places - Hawaii - China - Korea - Thailland - Hong Kong - England - Ireland - Scotland - Italy - France - Germany - Denmark - Iceland - Sweden - Mexico - Canada - Bahamas - Washington DC - San Diego - Las Vegas - Boston - Orlando - Tampa - Durham - Syracuse - Death Valley - New Orleans - Alaska - Key West - and Castro. Most of the visits were related to Nancy's new job.

At 5:00 AM on the day I retired - I received an e-mail from Mr. Homer Hickam. He is the author of the book "Rocket Boys" and the movie "October Sky" was based on his book and his life. I had recently written to Mr. Hickam and told him how my life was similar to his. I told him how my Dad was a coal miner like his and also how I ended up teaching Earth and Space Science for 33 years and launching rockets at school. I told him how the launching of Sputnik inspired me and how I admired the work that Werner Von Braun did for our space program.

Homer told me that he worked for NASA for many years and he retired on his 55th birthday too. He said that "the five years since my retirement were the most exciting and best ever." He wished me five years as good as his.

Well Homer - so far you are a prophet.

Martina Navratilova Stopped By to Visit with FSU Tennis Team

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State women's tennis team received a nice treat Sunday morning when they arrived to Scott Speicher Tennis Center and were welcomed by tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Navratilova, who showed up to practice on the tennis courts at Florida State while passing through Tallahassee, socialized with the coaches and players and posed for pictures. Here is Martina and the coach.

After the visit - FSU went out and beat Florida A&M and also Bethune-Cookman. The Noles are now 3-0.

Tonya Harding - One of My Favorite Athletes

She's one of the most controversial figures in professional sports, and now TONYA HARDING talks to ET's JANN CARL in a no-holds-barred interview about her past, present and future.

"I think it's about time that people see who the real me is," the 35-year-old Tonya tells Jann. "It doesn't matter how many times life brings me down to rock bottom; I'm not going to give up on life. It's too precious."

Tonya looks very different these days compared to the lithe young woman with the skater's body. What happened? "I had the beginning of pneumonia and, along with my asthma, I was put on prednisone," explains Tonya. "Everyone knows when you're put on it, it makes you gain weight ... I was easily 35 pounds overweight, and now I'm like 15 to 20 overweight."

So, if "Celebrity Fit Club" called Tonya, would she do it? "Absolutely," she says with a smile.

An Oregon native whose figure skating prowess and triple axle put her on top of the skating world, it all came crashing down in 1994 when Tonya's ex-husband, JEFF GILLOOLY, attacked Tonya's teammate, NANCY KERRIGAN, at a practice session during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Tonya was implicated in the conspiracy, although she avoided any jail time, and was banned from the world of professional skating.

"It's been a really long time since I've talked about it because I've gone on with my life," says Tonya. "[Nancy] was my friend; teammate. Yeah, we were competitors, but, hey, I'm very happy for her and all her successes in life. It's just a really unfortunate incident that happened and hopefully other people out there will learn from the mistakes that I've made and realize that they should go on with life. But think about your choices that you make in life, because if you get going down the wrong path, sometimes it's really hard to make it back on the right path."

FSU Plays at Duke Saturday

Another "Everhart Bowl." This time the "other Everhart team" Florida State University takes on number 2 Duke University in Basketball. The game will be played at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University. The game will be played on national TV.

Nancy got her doctorate at FSU in 1990. Keith got his masters at FSU in 2005. Drew and Robin got their bachelor's degrees at Duke in 1999 and 2000. I am guessing the Everharts are in favor of FSU - 3 to 2.

Construction Started on New Panther Valley Middle School - I worked in Old One 33 Years

Old PVMS








BY SHAWN A. HESSINGER
Pottsville Republican

SUMMIT HILL — As heavy equipment labored in the background Wednesday, Panther Valley School officials and students gathered to formally announce the beginning of construction on the district's new $15,580,500 middle school.
Sixth-graders wearing hard hats and carrying shovels helped with a groundbreaking ceremony behind the existing high school for a project officially begun Dec. 30.

"We felt that would be appropriate since they will be one of the first classes in the new middle school," said Panther Valley School District Superintendent J. Christopher West.

Maintenance Director George Krajnak estimated the completed structure, located northeast of the high school, would take up an estimated 80,000 square feet just outside the borough of Lansford in rural Summit Hill.

West said work on the new middle school is expected to be completed in July or August of 2007.

"So we would be looking at occupying the new school by the 2007-08 school year," West said.

He said the new building will also include connected administration offices where West and the rest of the district's administrative staff will also relocate from the current middle school in downtown Lansford.

The new middle school project stirred some controversy in the Schuylkill County portion of the district.

In April 2003, the borough council of Coaldale, the only municipality within the school district to be located within the county, voted by narrow margins in a special meeting to study joining the Tamaqua Area School District instead.

The move to leave the school district, though short-lived, was motivated by concerns over the new middle school and the possible new taxes that could result.

In October 2003, the existing three-story Panther Valley Middle School was granted Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone status, creating tax abatements to encourage economic development once the building is vacated.