BEAR TRUTH: Gabe Chamberlin had a surprise visitor the other
day.

And Gabe, who lives on Laurel Drive off Constitution Avenue,
even managed to get a picture:

Gabe tells us the bear broke into his sunporch. And if that were
not enough, “He tore open the screen, climbed over a three-foot
wall and took a bag of trash. Although he is young, he was not
frightened at all when I tried to scare him away.”

The bear weighed 250-300 pounds.

“I think it would be a perfect time for a warning in the paper.
My concern was for the lack of being afraid. Most bears run when
they come across a loud noise. It’s almost as if this bear was used
to human beings or was possibly being fed by humans.”

Pennsylvania Game Commission calls such behavior being
“habituated” – when a wild animal becomes accustomed to having
human beings around. And this is one reason the commission has new
regulations in place which prohibit the feeding of bears – even
suggesting bird feeders be removed at night so as to remove this
magnet for bruins.

And, so, a word to the wise …

ALUMNI ALERT: Frank Allen of Bradford passes along an update on
what’s been happening with the Bradford High School Alumni
Association.

The group, he tells us, was formed two years ago and held its
first banquet on Oct. 16, 2004.

The group is open to all classes of Bradford Area High School
who attended or graduated from Bradford Area High School.
Currently, there is in excess of 300 members from 1940-1960.

Some 200 people attended the banquet in 2004.

Frank tells us: “This organization gives you the opportunity to
see your classmates and people from other classes.”

Anyone with questions on the organization may call Pat Blessing
or Frank Allen, both listed in the phone book.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “If the media critics’ attacks hasten the fall of
newspapers, one wonders what form of mass media can muster the
authority and trust to replace them,” said J. Peder Zane, staff
writer, the News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., in 2005. As always,
today’s quote is from the Freedom Forum.