Islamic State extremists have damaged the ancient Assyrian site of Nimrud in Iraq, removing some statues and using heavy equipment to destroy much of the remaining structures and artifacts. The 3,000 year old city was an important part of early Mesopotamian civilization. United Nations officials consider the destruction a war crime. Local residents and experts expressed outrage at the loss of irreplaceable historical remains. The extremists have been trying to erase historical relics that they believe violate their interpretation of Islamic law.

1. Saturday, March 7, 2015 75 CentsVol. 86, No. 245
©Daily American
For subscriptions call:
814-444-5900 or
1-800-452-0823 Gertrude M. Gary, 94, White
Oak
AreA DeAth
Classifieds B8 • Comics/Crossword A10 • Home and Family A7 •
Opinion A4 • Puzzles B11 • Sports B1• Weather A12
Complete Forecast A12
toDAy’s t ps
35º
29º
WhAt’s InsIDe
InspIrAtIon
[Jesus] said to [his disciples], “But who do you say that I am?”
— Matthew 16:15
www.dailyamerican.com
Outrage: Extremists take ancient
statues, damage historic Iraqi site
By VIVIAN SALAMA ANd
CARA ANNA
Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) — Is-
lamic State extremists
trucked away statues as
they damaged the irre-
placeable remains of an
ancient Assyrian capital,
a local resident and a top
UN official told The Asso-
ciated Press Friday. Nim-
rud, a nearly 3,000-year-
old city in present-day
Iraq, included monu-
mental statues of winged
bulls, bearded horsemen
and other winged figures,
all symbols of an ancient
Mesopotamian empire in
the cradle of Western civ-
ilization. The discovery
that extremists removed
some statues before us-
ing heavy equipment to
destroy much of the site
Thursday was cold com-
fort.
(See OUTRAGE, A11)
‘Don’t use that until I have washed it thoroughly,’
which always tests Experts won’t find anything wrong with this.’
HE TOLD THE OFFICER.
‘I would not have the representatives of the government to gain the impression
that I make anything other than the BEST QUALITY WHISKEY,
130 PROOF.
— Wellersburg distiller James L. Miller
Why a 5.5
percent
jobless rate
isn’t as great
as it seems
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unem-
ployment in the U.S. has dropped
to a seven-year low of 5.5 percent
— a level normally considered
the mark of a healthy job mar-
ket. Yet that number isn’t as en-
couraging as it might sound.
While U.S. employers added
a solid 295,000 jobs in February,
and the jobless rate fell from
5.7 percent, it went down most-
ly because many people gave up
looking for work and were no
longer officially counted as un-
employed, the government re-
ported Friday.
What’s more, wage gains re-
mained sluggish.
Those trends suggest that the
job market, while improving rap-
idly, isn’t quite as healthy as it
looks.
That complicates the Federal
Reserve’s task of figuring out
when the economy has strength-
ened enough to withstand higher
interest rates.
The Fed is considering a rate
increase as early as June.
With Friday’s report, em-
ployers have now produced 12
straight monthly job gains above
200,000.
It’s the longest such stretch
since 1994-95.
The U.S. is easily outshining
most other major economies.
(See JOBLESS, A11)
MMOOUU IINN WW
PPProhhhiiibbbiiiton: AAA lllocalll hhhiiistory
Wolf’s sales tax plan has wide reach
Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget has im-
plications for taxpayers from the
cradle to the grave.
From day care to caskets, Wolf’s
laundry list of proposed taxable
items and services is part of a plan
engineered to pump billions into
education and create massive prop-
erty tax relief for the middle class
and seniors. Wolf’s sales tax and
other proposals would generate
$2.5 billion in new net revenue to
balance his proposed property tax
relief plan, according to his office.
The Democratic governor an-
nounced a sales tax increase and
a property tax relief plan during
his budget address on Tuesday. The
plan will provide $3.8 bil-
lion in school property
tax relief beginning in
October 2016, accord-
ingtoWolf spokesman
Jeffrey Sheridan.
By MICHELLE GANASSI
michelleg@dailyamerican.com
More than 30 items are slated to be added to sales tax program
(See TAX, A3)))
NEW EATERY COMING TO SOMERSET
RRReaddd more abbbouttt ttthhhe restttauranttt on PPPage AAA555
Submitted photo
“Largest captured still in Somer-
set County” around 1930. Some of
the men were identified from left
as Bert Landis, county detective;
Thomas Landis, district attorney;
Harry Jacobs, assistant district at-
torney; and Lester Wagner, sheriff.
Photo courtesy of the Historical
and Genealogical Society of Som-
erset County.
(Prohibition, which happened from 1920 to 1933, was an eventful and exciting time across
the country. In big cities, the mafia dons dominated the news and were prominent and influ-
ential figures within their communities. In Somerset, it was a time of moonshiners, bootleg-
gers, drinking coal miners, colorful outlaws and law officers charged with corruption. This
is the first part in a two-part series looking at prohibition in Somerset County.)
SSSSStttttoooorrrryyyy oooonnnn PPPPPaaaaggggeeee AAAAA1111111111
The Golden Eagle
faithful cheer as Som-
erset is introduced in
its AAA state playoff
game versus Mars at
Central Cambria High
School Friday night.
Read more about the
game in sports, start-
ing on Page B1.
Photo by Joe Isenman
PLAYOFFS
Gov. Tom Wolf
SO-0020186871-01

2. Daily American, Somerset, Pa., Saturday, March 7, 2015 A11
(Continued from A1)
Outrage spread over the extremists’
latest effort to erase history.
United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon considers the destruction a
war crime, his spokesman said in a state-
ment.
Iraq’s most revered Shiite cleric, the
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said in
his Friday sermon that the extremists
are savaging Iraq, “not only in the pres-
ent but also to its history and ancient civ-
ilizations.”
“I’m shocked and speechless,” said
Zeid Abdullah, who lives in nearby Mo-
sul and studied at the city’s Fine Arts
Institute until the extremists shut that
down. “Only people with a criminal and
barbaric mind can act this way and de-
stroy an art masterpiece that is thou-
sands of years old.”
A farmer from a nearby village told
the AP Friday that militants began car-
rying tablets and artifacts away from the
site two days before the attack, which be-
gan Thursday afternoon. The militants
told the villagers that the artifacts are
idols forbidden by Islam and must be de-
stroyed, the farmer said, speaking anon-
ymously for fear of reprisals.
But the group also is known to have
sold off looted antiquities as a source of
revenue.
Some statues were “put on big trucks,
and we don’t know where they are, pos-
sibly for illicit trafficking,” UNESCO Di-
rector General Irina Bokova said.
UN officials have seen images of de-
stroyed Assyrian symbols including stat-
ues with the head of a man, the torso of
a lion and wings of an eagle. These sym-
bols were referred to in the Bible and oth-
er sacred texts, she said.
“All of this is an appalling and tragic
act of human destruction,” she said.
UN officials were studying satellite
imagery of the destruction, since it re-
mains too dangerous to approach the
site, she said. These violent Sunni ex-
tremists have been campaigning to purge
ancient relics they say promote idola-
try that violates their interpretation of
Islamic law. A video they released last
week shows them smashing artifacts in
the Mosul museum and in January, the
group burned hundreds of books from
the Mosul library and Mosul University,
including many rare manuscripts.
Outrage
(Continued from A1)
For example, the unemployment rate in the 19
countries that share the euro is 11.2 percent, or
twice the U.S. rate.
The robust U.S. job gains appear to have con-
vinced many investors that the Fed will soon raise
the short-term interest rate it controls. Investors
on Friday sold ultra-safe U.S. Treasurys, a sign
that many anticipate a rate increase. The yield on
the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.24 percent from
2.11 percent.
And they dumped stocks. The Dow Jones indus-
trial average plummeted 276 points in afternoon
trading.
A 5.5 percent unemployment rate is typically
consistent with what economists call “full employ-
ment” — when the proportion of unemployed peo-
ple has fallen so low that employers must raise pay
to find enough qualified workers.
Companies then raise prices to pay for the high-
er wages. And the Fed usually follows suit by rais-
ing its benchmark short-term rate to cool growth
and ward off inflation.
But the scars of the Great Recession have made
the process hazier and more complicated.
“5.5 percent doesn’t mean what it once did,” said
Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Finan-
cial. Full employment “is always a moving target,
and it has moved down.”
Since the recession ended in June 2009, the per-
centage of adults working or looking for work has
fallen to a 37-year low of 62.8 percent. It has hov-
ered around the mark for most of the past year.
Economists calculate that about half that de-
cline reflects the aging of the population as the
baby boom generation retires.
But another factor is that many Americans have
become discouraged about their job prospects and
have given up looking.
Those out of work aren’t counted as unemployed
unless they are actively looking for jobs.
That has helped artificially lower the rate since
its peak of 10 percent in October 2009.
Many economists also argue the economy can’t
be near full employment if wages aren’t growing.
And average hourly earnings rose just 3 cents to
$24.78 in February from the previous month.
Megan Greene, chief economist at John Han-
cock Financial Services, noted that hourly pay fell
in February from January in the construction and
mining industries.
Such figures will outweigh the falling unem-
ployment rate in Fed chair Janet Yellen’s mind, she
said, and perhaps discourage a rate increase soon.
Yet many other economists expect the Fed will
put a rate increase into effect in June or September.
The short-term interest rate is usually at 3 per-
cent or 4 percent when the economy is at full em-
ployment. It is now at a record low of zero, and in-
flation is practically nonexistent.
Tim Hopper, chief economist at TIAA-CREF,
said that if unemployment keeps falling and infla-
tion starts to pick up later this year, “the Fed will
be behind the curve if they haven’t already started
raising rates.”
Nearly 3.3 million more Americans are earning
paychecks than 12 months ago.
That has boosted U.S. consumer spending and
the broader global economy. Many leading export-
ers, particularly China, Germany and Japan, de-
pend on Americans’ spending for a chunk of their
growth.
Jobless
Prohibition did little to curb alcohol use in Somerset County
Sixteen hundred bar-
rels of beer, valued at
$30,000 at the time, was
poured into the sewer at
the Windber Brewing Co.
plant.
An officer from the In-
ternal Revenue Service
presided over the task,
not cheerfully, but well. As
one by one, the great tires
of barrels were tapped
and the amber fluid was
assigned to oblivion, the
last chapter in the histo-
ry of the manufacture of
beer in the city was writ-
ten.
Or so the newspapers
thought. It was 1920, at the
beginning of the Prohibi-
tion era in Somerset Coun-
ty. The ban on alcohol had
taken place the prior year
with the passing of the
18th Amendment and the
Volstead Act. For the peo-
ple in Somerset County,
it was the beginning of
something else.
“It was quite an in-
teresting time in Somer-
set County,” said Clark
Brocht, a local historian.
“Some of the people were
very upstanding citizens,
but some of them had
a side line of work. You
didn’t have to go far for it,
all you had to do was ask
around. I would compare
it to our problem today
with drugs. It was every-
where. If you were in the
woods, you could find it
when they weren’t mak-
ing it.”
Whiskey, moonshine
Hard liquor dominated
the area. Truckloads of
whiskey were being deliv-
ered at the mine camp in
Bell almost every night in
May 1920.
The bootleggers, as
they became known, had
no fear of the government
enforcement officers or of
local and county officials,
according to a Somerset
Herald article.
As a result of the whis-
key’s constant presence,
many of the foreigners
were rendered unfit for
work. The coal operators
complained that whiskey
had become more plenti-
ful and easier to obtain at
the mines than it was be-
fore the Volstead Act went
into place.
Crime also increased
in other areas besides
bootlegging. One miner at
the camp got drunk, tried
to enter the wrong house
and was shot by the home-
owner. By one newspaper
account, Somerset County
had the most liquor viola-
tion arrests in 1920 for any
county its size in Pennsyl-
vania. And the number of
people violating the law
was much larger than the
number of people caught.
“Notwithstanding the
many arrests made in this
county, it is obvious from
scenes witnessed in the
streets of various towns,
including Somerset, that
bootleggers are still ply-
ing their trade, which
must be enormously prof-
itable if the reported price
of $15 per quart prevails,”
a Somerset Herald arti-
cle concluded in October
1920.
The moonshiners were
often irreverent and flout-
ed the law even when they
had been caught. One of
the men was James L. Mill-
er, of Wellersburg, who op-
erated a 25-gallon still in
the basement of his home.
When federal agents iden-
tified themselves and
asked to enter, he gave
them a hearty welcome
and invited them to see
how whiskey was made.
When one of the agents
undertook to fill a small
bottle with the liquor as
evidence, Miller discov-
ered some dust and sedi-
ment in the bottle.
“Don’t use that until I
have washed it thorough-
ly,” he told the officer. “I
would not have the repre-
sentatives of the govern-
ment to gain the impres-
sion that I make anything
other than the best quality
whiskey, which always
tests 130 proof. Experts
won’t find anything wrong
with this.”
Miller’s home was raid-
ed again in 1925. Two of
the stills confiscated at
that time were reported to
be the largest capacity ves-
sels of the kind ever taken
in the county, according to
a Somerset Herald article.
The drinkers, bartend-
ers and hotel operators of-
ten were at odds with the
dry forces who wanted to
rid the county of drinking.
In August 1921, Somerset
County’s district attorney
ordered the saloons in
Windber to be closed. Four
weeks later, the saloons
reopened before being re-
ported by three people op-
posed to alcohol consump-
tion.
Saloons that continued
to operate without a liquor
license were sometimes
called speakeasies.
In another Windber
case, a man was killed in
a domestic dispute over
a jug of whiskey. His wife
refused to produce the
whiskey she had hidden.
He had been struck over
the head. His wife and her
brother were suspected.
One witness said all three
had plenty of the “white
mule” and were well
“pepped up.”
Windber may have
been the worst town in the
county for drinking. The
Windber Brewery had
been operating illicitly
throughout the period. At-
tempts to curtail alcohol-
ism and Prohibition viola-
tions were not fruitful.
“All other efforts to
make Somerset County
arid, it seems, have failed
and bootlegging from all
appearances is the fa-
vorite outdoor sport,” a
Somerset Herald account
said. “Hardly a week
passes without a num-
ber of bootleggers being
brought before the court.
In nearly all instances
they have pled guilty, but
bootlegging continues to
flourish in the county. Re-
cently some Windberites
got all “fed up” over the
number of drunks in that
town.”
In 1923 a huge moon-
shine plant owned by
Albert Beck was raided
on Laurel Hill Mountain
near Bakersville. His
plant was capable of
turning out anywhere
from 800 to 1,000 gallons
of “white mule” daily,
and cops suspected that
the plant had been work-
ing at full capacity for
months.
A culture of drinking
Joseph Pumalack de-
cided to throw a pre-wed-
ding party for his daugh-
ter, the prospective bride,
at his home in Central
City. The party came to an
abrupt end when county
detectives swooped down
on the place while the
celebrants, numbering
about 200, were having a
merry time.
When the officers en-
tered the house, they
found five barrels of
beer, six half-gallon jugs
and seven one-quart bot-
tles of moonshine. Pum-
alack was placed under
arrest, but obtained re-
lease in time to witness
his daughter’s wedding.
Whether or not the wed-
ding celebration was
repeated could not be as-
certained by the Somer-
set Herald. The wedding
was in August 1924, the
height of Prohibition in
Somerset County. While
the first few years of news
coverage of bootlegging
had seen a county sur-
prised by the number of
lawbreakers, the next
five years of newspa-
pers showed a deepening
drinking culture in the
region that people got ac-
customed to.
When one truck carry-
ing 60 gallons of moon-
shine was stopped by
police in that time, the
news was met with de-
spair from local townsfolk
in Somerset. According
to street reports at the
time, large quantities of
moonshine had been de-
livered in Somerset early
every Saturday evening
for months and retailed in
private garages and some-
times from the curb. The
arrests of the truckers
meant the closing of the
supply for the foreseeable
future. Some of the moon-
shine proved dangerous
to drink. Occasionally, a
moonshiner would use
toxic chemicals to make
his or her batch. In 1924
one man who lived near
Somerset was found lying
on his couch after dying
from a stroke of paralysis
that was developed from
drinking moonshine.
“If they weren’t care-
ful, they got poisoned,”
Brocht said. “Our culture
at the middle of Prohibi-
tion was about the same
as the beginning and the
end. There was so much of
it consumed. They knew
where to get it. A lot of
times, these individuals
could handle their alcohol.
I’ve been told by a man if
you were caught drunk
during Prohibition, you
got in trouble. According
to him, he said, ‘You better
not get caught drunk by
the cops.’”
By cody mcdeVitt
codym@dailyamerican.com
Photo is courtesy of the Windber Area Museum
The Windber Brewing Co.
Distributed to Restaurants
❏ Zone 1 ❏ Zone 2 ❏ Zone 3 ❏ Zone 4
Business:_______________________________________________________________
Contact:________________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________
City:________________________________________State:______ Zip____________
Phone:(____) _________________________________________________________
❏ Please Reserve
❏ One Zone
❏ Two Zones
❏ Three Zones
❏ Four Zones
Take advantage of this inexpensive opportunity to reach thousands of potential customers.
ZONE 1
10,000
Somerset/Berlin
ZONE 2
10,000
Jennerstown/Stoystown/
Windber
ZONE 3
10,000
Meyersdale/Garrett/
Salisbury
ZONE 4
10,000
Richland/Johnstown
Choose One Zone
10,000 Copies.......................................
$
Save ~ Choose Two Zones
20,000 Copies.......................................
$
a total investment of $98
Save ~ Choose Three Zones
30,000 Copies.......................................
$
a total investment of $141
Save ~ Choose Four Zones
40,000 Copies.......................................
$
a total investment of $180
Block*
Block*
Block*
Block*
New Prices Effective 12/31/14
throughout the area!
d t f thi i i t it t h th d f t ti l t
(814) 444-5942 • Toll Free 800-452-0823
kathys@dailyamerican.com
KATHY SHRINER,
AccountExecutive
You may fax this order to Kathy Shriner 814-445-2935 or mail to
Daily American, c/o Special Projects, P.O. Box 638, 334 W. Main Street, Somerset, PA 15501
I will call to confirm your order. We accept VISA and Master Card. 12/14
SO-0020190957-01
52
49
47
45
$52.00
$98.00
$141.00
$180.00
You’re Invited
Pre-K Informational Night at Maple Ridge Elementary School
Interested in a pre-k opportunity for four-year old child? Do you have
questions about the District’s pre-k? If you reside within the Somerset
Area School District and would like to enroll your child in the District’s
pre-k or would like information, please join us.
When: Thursday, March 12, 2015 @ 7:00 PM
Where: Maple Ridge All-Purpose Room
SO-0020199008-01

3. Tuesday, March 10, 2015 75 CentsVol. 86, No. 248
©Daily American
For subscriptions call:
814-444-5900 or
1-800-452-0823
Classifieds C4 • Comics/Crossword B4 • Home and Family B3 •
Opinion A4 • Puzzles C5 • Sports B1• Weather A6
Complete Forecast A6
Today’s T ps
48º
37º
WhaT’s InsIde
InspIraTIon
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” — John 15:5
www.dailyamerican.com
Justin Sayler, of Berlin, was driving
a friend home from bowling last week
and hit a pothole on Route 281 under
the Pennsylvania Turnpike underpass
near Roof Garden Market.
“That pothole is a foot wide, 2-feet-
long and 3 or 4 inches deep with a sharp
front end,” his grandfather, Roger Ca-
ton, of Berlin, said. “It was dark and
under a dark tunnel, he couldn’t see it.
He doesn’t drive that way very often.
Two tires were blown out.”
Sayler was planning on making a
trip to visit his brother who is in the
Air Force, so his grandfather helped
him out financially. The tires were $95
each.
“My gosh, this is costing a lot of peo-
ple money,” he said. “This is dangerous.
Grandpap has to help out when things
do happen.”
Jackie Lewis, of Friedens, had a sim-
ilar experience along Route 281. He hit
a pothole, damaging his car’s struts, a
structural part of the suspension sys-
tem.
What really irritates him is that the
same thing happened last year on the
same roadway, but under the turnpike
underpass.
Last year he also had to replace a
tire. He estimates he has spent almost
$500 on pothole-related car work in two
years.
“There must be 20 to 30 holes on
Route 281 from the railroad tracks in
Geiger to Mostoller’s (restaurant),” he
said. “For every one I miss I hit eight.
That whole 281 needs to be done, but
it’s hard to say what is worse, 281 or
West Main Street in Somerset. You can
see the red bricks in one pothole (near
the intersection of Rosina Avenue).”
Joe Kelemen, Somerset County
maintenance manager for the Pennsyl-
vania Department of Transportation,
said that his crews will begin pothole
repairs this week.
“We have quite a list,” he said.
“Some roads have multiple potholes.
Each stockpile (maintenance area) is
responsible for their own area. We’re
still on dual shifts and will be able fix
more potholes after dual shifts end, but
fingers crossed, we’ll get it started this
week.”
By VICKI ROCK
vickir@dailyamerican.com
Motorists report pothole problems
Staff photo by Vicki Rock
Red bricks under the asphalt are visible in
this pothole on West Main Street near the
intersection with Rosina Ave-
nue. State crews were fixing
holes on West Main Street Mon-
day afternoon. Additional photo-
graphs and a video appear on-
line at www.dailyamerican.com.
Watch
video
online.
CLICK
(See MENACE, A3)
Corruption conspiracy highlights latter years of prohibition
(Prohibition was an
eventful and exciting time
across the country. For big
cities, the mafia dons dom-
inated the news and were
prominent and influential
figures within their commu-
nities. For Somerset, it was
a time of moonshiners, boot-
leggers, drinking coal min-
ers, colorful outlaws and law
officers charged with corrup-
tion. This is the second part
in a two-part series looking
at Prohibition in Somerset
County.)
Police officers were not
above the law during pro-
hibition, but they often
ignored it when it came to
their own drinking.
Miles E. Lohr, of Garrett,
made moonshine for more
than a decade before his
business died off at the end
of prohibition. His custom-
ers included doctors, den-
tists, bankers, businessmen
and elected officials.
His son, John E. Lohr,
wrote a book about his
adventures in 1978 called
“Moonshining: The Illegal
Manufacture of Alcoholic
Beverages.”
Lohr alleged a conspir-
acy at the highest levels of
Somerset County govern-
ment. According to Lohr,
an organization known as
the “Moonshiners Guild of
Somerset County” emerged
as prohibition lingered.
By CODy MCDEVITT
codym@dailyamerican.com
Judge J.A. Berkey(See BOOZE, A5)
Wolf
advances
tougher
drilling
rules
By MARC LEVy
Associated Press
HARRISBURG (AP) —
A forthcoming proposal
to toughen regulations
for the Marcellus Shale
natural gas drilling in-
dustry will target how it
stores waste, dampens
noise and affects public
water resources, schools
and playgrounds, state
environmental regula-
tors said Monday.
The proposal is the
first signal from Gov. Tom
Wolf’s administration
of how it will approach
the natural gas industry
after the Democrat cam-
paigned last year on a
promise to toughen state
regulation of the indus-
try. He also is seeking
lawmakers’ approval of
higher taxes on booming
natural gas production
to boost aid to public
schools.
The administration’s
approach to waste stor-
age was motivated, in
part, by leaking waste-
water impoundments in
southwestern Pennsylva-
nia that prompted the De-
partment of Environmen-
tal Protection last year to
pursue multimillion-dol-
lar fines.
The proposal is “bal-
anced, incremental and
appropriate,” John Quig-
ley, Wolf’s nominee to
head the department,
said in a conference call
briefing on the forthcom-
ing draft.
Quigley and other de-
partment officials said
they hope to enact the
proposal into regulation
next spring after a 30-day
public comment period
beginning April 4.
(See DRILLING, A5)
Like us on
Facebook
Follow us on
Twitter
STAY CONNECTED
STEELERS LET GO OF
A LONGTIME STAR
RRReaddd more on PPPage BBB111
School officials told to budget conservatively
School officials have been
warned by a group of state sena-
tors to not jump the gun on pos-
sible increases in state funding
that are part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s
proposed budget.
On March 4 superintendents
received a letter from Republi-
can state senators Joe Scarnati,
Pat Browne, Jake Corman and
John Gordner asking them to
take a conservative approach on
state revenue estimates — and
to prepare school budgets con-
servatively as well.
The letter advised against
adjusting school budgets to re-
flect the educational funding
proposed in Wolf’s state budget.
The proposed increase includes
$400 million for public school
operations, according to the As-
sociated Press. It’s part of a tax
package designed to put nearly
a billion dollars in the educa-
tion system. Higher income and
sales taxes are part of the deal,
along with significant property
tax relief. The plan has to be ap-
proved by the Republican-con-
trolled House and Senate. Wolf
is a Democrat.
“We recognize the difficult
task school administrators have
in making decisions about an-
ticipated revenue from the Com-
monwealth given that the full
extent of the Governors’ pro-
posed increases may not be con-
tained in the Commonwealth’s
final budget,” the letter said.
The letter concluded by stating
that educational funding will be
a priority during budget conver-
sations. Shanksville business
manager Sidney Clark said that
although the state budget in-
cludes some great ideas for ed-
ucational funding, it’s going to
be hard to get opposite political
parties to agree.
By AMBER ROSADO
amberr@dailyamerican.com
(See BUDGET, A3)
SO-0020197622-01
PolarMax Windows
PolarWall®
Plus Siding
Better Products,
Better Prices814-623-1835 • 888-650-0021 MHIC No. 95234
PA No. 2182
FREE ESTIMATES
www.shawneevinyl.net

4. Daily American, Somerset, Pa., Tuesday, March 10, 2015 A5
(Continued from A1)
He claimed that this
group was much bigger
than a few loosely affili-
ated bootleggers — that
it contained an “elite”
inner circle including the
high sheriff, district at-
torney and a judge of the
county court.
Lohr wrote that moon-
shiners like his father
were offered immunity
from criminal prosecu-
tion if they paid a trib-
ute to these officials. The
fee, he wrote, was based
on production and was
given directly to county
detectives, who served as
the “chief scouts” for the
higher-ups.
Lohr recounts the sto-
ry of a staunch supporter
of prohibition threaten-
ing to expose the crime
ring in the press in hopes
of thwarting the alcohol
trade.
Lohr wrote that guild
members placed a pint of
moonshine in the man’s
car while he attended a
church dinner in Garrett.
Already aware of the
plot, authorities then ex-
ecuted a search warrant
and arrested the man for
alcohol possession.
Lohr claimed that the
setup gave guild mem-
bers the necessary lever-
age to keep him quiet.
The charge mirrors a
case documented by the
Somerset Herald.
The case involves Offi-
cer Victor Glessner, who
was perhaps the most un-
popular man in Somerset
County during the 1920s
because of the number of
speeding tickets he gave
and because he fired tear
gas into a crowd of men,
women and children af-
ter allegedly drinking al-
cohol.
Glessner pulled a Mey-
ersdale man over and ar-
rested him for carrying a
bottle of moonshine.
When the owner was
asked to find his proof of
ownership, the certificate
was not where he typical-
ly put it. It was instead
under his seat cushion,
where a bottle marked
“Grape Juice” was also
present. Glessner smelled
the drink and declared it
was contraband liquor.
The occupants of the
car claimed they were
framed, but Glessner said
he could not overlook the
evidence that had been
unearthed.
The court case was
suspicious to the Somer-
set Herald.
”The prosecution has
a decidedly shady look
and few people familiar
with the facts are dis-
posed to believe that it
rests on substantial foun-
dation,” an article con-
cluded. “The trial will
be followed with great in-
terest by persons who are
anxious to know whether
motorists can be held re-
sponsible for the trans-
gressions of designing
persons who designedly
place contraband liquor
in cars during the tempo-
rary absence of the own-
er or owners. The ques-
tion is one that deeply
concerns every owner of
a motor vehicle.”
The newspaper re-
ported that all the civic
organizations denounced
Glessner for the arrest.
In February 1930, Dep-
uty Prothonotary Claude
A.M. Welch of Somerset
County threw a bomb-
shell into the camp of a
group of alleged rum con-
spirators on trial in the
U.S. District Court when
in a straight forward and
forceful manner he told
how he and local Judge
J.A. Berkey and others
conspired to sell, trans-
port and possess alcohol-
ic liquors in Somerset
County.
The object of the con-
spiracy, he said, was to
raise funds for Judge Ber-
key’s contemplated race
for re-election as presi-
dent judge of the Somer-
set County courts. Officer
Glessner was also listed
as an accomplice.
The interest in the tri-
al of the former judge and
his alleged fellow conspir-
ators was at fever heat
in all parts of Somerset
County, as residents were
captivated by newspaper
accounts of witnesses
taking the stand for and
against the defendants.
When Berkey took the
stand, he was cross-exam-
ined and asked whether
he provided protection to
bootleggers for money.
“There isn’t a grain or
scintilla of truth in the
entire statement,” Ber-
key said. “I have always
financed my own cam-
paigns. I would not be
under obligation to any
under-strapper.
Special prosecuting at-
torney John S. Coldiron,
of Washington, D.C., had
an eloquent final argu-
ment.
“The day has passed
when the judge of the
highest court can consort
with bootleggers and the
criminal element,” he
said. “It is the greatest of-
fice within the gift of his
fellow men. His duties are
the greatest any man can
be called on to perform.
“He can send you to
your death. He can take
away your wife and chil-
dren, your property, or all
these things. He can de-
liver your body to earthly
perdition behind the pris-
on bars.”
Coldiron said the peo-
ple of Somerset County
should be embarrassed
by their judge because he
accepted presents from
bootleggers and orga-
nized the outlaws as a po-
litical force.
The jury in the case
returned a not guilty ver-
dict for all the defendants.
The level of secrecy
that happened then with
illicit trade is still pos-
sible today, said Linda
Marker, a local historian
from Rockwood.
“It still does happen
with drug dealers,” Mark-
er said. “They’re on social
media. They don’t talk
drugs on Facebook. They
know what is OK to talk
about and what is not OK
to talk. They knew who to
trust then, and they know
who to trust now. I don’t
see a whole lot of differ-
ence between drugs today
and prohibition then.”
The end of ProhibiTion
In May 1931, Somerset
County arrested 26 peo-
ple, four of whom were
busted for liquor law vi-
olations, according to a
Somerset Herald article.
The nation was leaning
toward repealing the 18th
Amendment for a variety
of reasons — increased
criminal activity perhaps
being the foremost prob-
lem caused by it. But the
push to repeal was met
staunchly by prohibition
defenders. Somerset was
a battleground for the
wets and drys.
The Anti-Saloon
League of Pittsburgh
held a rally at Trinity
Lutheran Church in Som-
erset to rally supporters
for the ban on liquor. The
newspapers commented
on how the liquor culture
had changed during pro-
hibition. The key point
stressed during the 1931
meeting was the flaws
in the Canadian system,
which the government
had placed beer in a very
accessible place, hoping
to discourage the use of
strong drink.
There were a number
of other church gather-
ings in Somerset in the
ensuing years protesting
the repeal movement. But
the national movement
was unstoppable.
Prohibition came to an
end when the 21st Amend-
ment, which repealed the
18th, was approved by the
state of Utah in December
1933.
The Pennsylvania Li-
quor Control Board an-
nounced it would locate
three state liquor stores
in Somerset County in
Somerset, Windber and
Meyersdale. With jobs
scarce, many people in
the area took the civil ser-
vice exam to be eligible to
work at the stores, which
were referred to as “Grog
Shops.”
The first store opened
in Somerset on Jan. 9,
1934. It was managed
by E.E. Barnett, of Jen-
nerstown. Liquor was
trucked from headquar-
ters in Pittsburgh to Som-
erset and arrived at the
same time carpenters put
the finishing touches on
the store on South Center
Avenue.
The shops were never
popular, neither with the
the bootleggers who still
couldn’t sell their hard
liquor legally at the shop,
nor by the drys who op-
posed drinking altogeth-
er. The customers had to
pay more. The Somerset
Daily Herald called Gov.
Gifford Pinchot a boot-
legger.
“The gossip around
Somerset indicates lit-
tle interest among the
drinkers who have been
patronizing the bootleg-
gers in the legislation
of either Washington
or Harrisburg,” a Dai-
ly Herald editorial said.
“While Somerset Coun-
ty mountains may have
yielded more moonshine
than some others in the
days that have intervened
since the Whiskey Re-
bellion, there are plenty
of counties where there
was more bootlegging
before prohibition came
than in Somerset. The
programs that have been
outlined by various polit-
ical groups seem to disre-
gard the human tendency
to shop in the cheapest
market, regardless of the
circumstances.”
Booze
(Continued from A1)
In the proposal, agency officials
say they want inspectors to undertake
more stringent reviews of proposed
drilling sites that are within 100 feet of
streams or wetlands and require drill-
ers to create site-specific noise control
plans.
They also want tougher regulations
over waste storage and to require drill-
ing permit applications to analyze how
the proposed new well could affect
drinking water sources, schools and
playgrounds.
On waste storage, the administra-
tion wants to eliminate the use of pits
to store drill cuttings and wastewater
at drilling sites — even though it knows
of none in use by the shale drilling in-
dustry — and toughen regulations for
the centralized impoundments that
store wastewater from multiple drill-
ing sites.
The department has said leaks from
impoundments prompted the agency’s
$4.5 million civil complaint against
Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. last Octo-
ber and a $4.15 million settlement in
September with Range Resources Corp.
of Fort Worth, Texas.
Under the administration’s propos-
al, an impoundment would need to be
shut down in three years or comply
with tougher standards applied to land-
fills, including a thicker liner, different
siting restrictions, higher bonding
amounts and a more involved public
participation process, said Scott Perry,
a deputy agency secretary for oil and
gas operations.
The wastewater impoundments play
a key role in the recycling of the waste-
water, although some companies used
tanks instead.
Six companies operate 17 impound-
ments statewide, and the department
has received permit applications for 13
more, Perry said.
Drilling
GOP tries to undercut nuclear deal with warning to Iran
by brAdLey KLAPPer And
deb rieChMAnn
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re-
publican lawmakers warned
the leaders of Iran on Monday
that any nuclear deal they cut
with President Barack Obama
could expire the day he leaves
office. The White House de-
nounced the GOP’s latest ef-
fort to undercut the interna-
tional negotiations as a “rush
to war.”
Monday’s open letter from
47 GOP senators marked an
unusually public and aggres-
sive attempt to undermine
Obama and five world powers
as negotiators try to strike
an initial deal by the end of
March to limit Iran’s nuclear
programs.
Republicans say a deal
would be insufficient and un-
enforceable, and they have
made a series of proposals to
undercut or block it — from
requiring Senate say-so on any
agreement to ordering new
penalty sanctions against Iran
or even making a pre-emptive
declaration of war.
Obama, noting that some
in Iran also want no part of
any deal, said: “I think it’s
somewhat ironic that some
members of Congress want to
make common cause with the
hardliners in Iran. It’s an un-
usual coalition.”
The letter was written by
freshman Sen. Tom Cotton
of Arkansas, who opposes
negotiations with Iran. It’s
addressed to the “Leaders
of the Islamic Republic of
Iran” and presents itself as a
constitutional primer to the
government of an American
adversary. Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky’s signature is on it,
as are those of several pro-
spective presidential candi-
dates.
Explaining the difference
between a Senate-ratified
treaty and a mere agreement
between Obama and Iran’s
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the
senators warned, “The next
president could revoke such
an executive agreement with
the stroke of a pen, and future
Congresses could modify the
terms of the agreement at any
time.”
Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammed Javad Zarif re-
sponded via state media, dis-
missing the letter as a “pro-
paganda ploy” and noting that
many international deals are
“mere executive agreements.”
He suggested the senators
were undermining not only
the prospective deal with Iran
but other international agree-
ments as well.
With Cotton presiding over
the Senate on Monday, Dem-
ocratic leader Harry Reid
spoke out, saying Republicans
were driven by animosity to-
ward Obama and unwilling
to recognize that American
voters had twice elected him
president.
“Let’s be very clear: Repub-
licans are undermining our
commander-in-chief while
empowering the ayatollahs,”
Reid said.
“Republicans don’t know
how to do anything other
than juvenile political attacks
against the president,” the
75-year-old Reid said with the
37-year-old Cotton listening.
The Republicans’ move to
stop a nuclear deal with Iran
comes just days after Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne-
tanyahu spoke to a joint meet-
ing of Congress at Republican
House Speaker John Boeh-
ner’s invitation.
In his address, Netanyahu
bluntly warned the United
States that a deal would pave
Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb.
The White House de-
nounced Cotton’s letter, say-
ing it was part of an ongoing
partisan strategy to under-
mine the president’s ability to
conduct foreign policy.
Press secretary Josh Ear-
nest said “the rush to war, or
at least the rush to the mili-
tary option, that many Repub-
licans are advocating is not at
all in the best interest of the
United States.”
Not all Republican senators
are united. One significant sig-
nature missing from Monday’s
letter was Bob Corker of Ten-
nessee, the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee chairman.
Action on any new legislation
challenging the administra-
tion’s strategy would be likely
to begin with him.
Still, even if all parties to
the international talks re-
ject the letter as a stunt, the
mounting opposition to an
accord could have repercus-
sions. Negotiating alongside
the U.S. are Britain, China,
France, Germany and Russia.
The Obama administration
believes it has authority to lift
most trade, oil and financial
sanctions that would be perti-
nent to the nuclear deal in ex-
change for an Iranian promise
to limit its nuclear programs.
For the rest, it needs Congress’
approval. And lawmakers
could approve new Iran sanc-
tions to complicate matters.
Nuclear negotiations re-
sume next week in Switzer-
land. Officials say the parties
have been speaking about a
multi-step agreement that
would freeze Iran’s uranium
enrichment program for at
least a decade before gradu-
ally lifting restrictions. Sanc-
tions relief would similarly be
phased in.
Iran says its program is
solely for peaceful energy and
medical research purposes.
The deadline for the whole
agreement is July.
In the letter, Cotton and his
colleagues stressed that pres-
idents may serve only eight
years while senators can re-
main in office for decades.
The implication was that
without Congress’ blessing,
the deal could fall apart when
Obama’s successor is sworn in
in January 2017.
The deal taking shape is
not a treaty. Under interna-
tional law, the provisions of
treaties are far more binding
than other agreements.
But by themselves, congres-
sional Republicans won’t be
able to block an international
agreement.
McConnell has spoken of
action later this month autho-
rizing Congress to take a yes-
or-no vote on a deal. But that
vote would be symbolic.
SO-0020200167-0
Refills available online at
www.findleyspharmacy.com
or email us at
pharmacist@findleyspharmacy.com
Findley’sP H A R M A C Y
FREELocal Delivery Service
Daily after 2 pm.
To Somerset and surrounding
areas.Ask about our
Berlin, Rockwood, and
Friedens deliveries.
814-445-7939
136 West Main Street, Somerset
SO-0020200210-01
Insurance
for the
roof and
everything
under it.
www.subeinsurance.com • 443-3318
SO-0020200398-02
CUSTOM
SLAUGHTERING
PA Lottery
Tickets
Available
Gift
Certificates
Available
10¢ Extra
To Freezer
Wrap
Meat Specials
Prices
Effective
thru Mon.,
March 16, 2015
COMPLETE
PROCESSING
Hickory Smoked Slab Bacon
Whole Slab.......................................... $2.89 lb.
Sliced.................................................. $2.99 lb.
MEAT
DELI
Chopped Ham - Sliced Only ................ $2.19 lb.
Hard Salami........................................ $4.59 lb.
Hot Pepper Cheese.............................. $3.29 lb.
Horseradish Cheese............................ $3.29 lb.
QUANTITY RIGHTS RESERVED • WE ACCEPT PAACCESS CARDS
BINGMAN’S PACKING CO.
“We’ve been in the same location for over 40 years.”
Mon.-Sat. 8-5 PH. 267-3413 Berlin, PA