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URGENT RETIREMENT ALERT! “CRASH AND INFLATION” Protect Your Nest Egg!
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JULY 13, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 22
Workshop Flier Inside. Register for a Workshop Now!
Honoring A Veteran Of Three Wars BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Rosemarie Curcio shows off Marty, one of her resident bats.
One of the pups currently in Rosemarie Curcio’s care
Bats In The Basement very three hours, an alarm goes off in Rosemarie Curcio’s house. It lets her know it’s time to feed the pups. But, these aren’t the kind of pups you may be picturing; instead, they are baby bats, and at the moment, 10 of them live in a bat nursery in the basement of Curcio’s Marietta home. For more than 30 years, Curcio has been rescuing and rehabbing bats. “I’ve always been interested in wildlife,” she said. Originally from New York, she volunteered at an animal rescue but didn’t focus on bats until she spent time in bat boot camp at Bat World Sanctuary
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in Texas over two summers, and she sanctuary. Along with the nursery, the basement currently houses nine found her true calling. “So much focus is on the ‘glam- additional bats. Several are permaour’ species that need help - the nent residents because they are wolves, the bald eagles - bats are the unable to fly, and most are big brown bats. ugly ones,” she Curcio works with remarked. “I’m a r e s o Raven Ridge Wildlife always for the “ B a t s underdog. I’m important because Center in Washingfascinated by bats.” they eat insects. ton Boro, where she She began caring They will consume serves on the board as well. When a call for bats in her New mosquitoes.” comes in about a bat, York City apartment it’s forwarded to Cur- without telling her landlord - and when she retired cio. Sometimes, she can advise the from teaching special education, person on how to help on the spot. “I always tell people to wear gloves she relocated to Marietta in 2009. Her home’s basement provided and use a towel if they are handling the perfect place to set up a bat bats,” she said, noting that bats can
See Veteran pg 5
carry rabies. “Never touch a bat with bare hands.” If a bat appears to be injured or is too young to survive on its own, Curcio will take it in, with the goal of eventually releasing it into the wild. June is pup season, and after a few weeks of formula feeding, the pups will be ready to try flying. Curcio has several large tents set up in her basement for the bats to practice in. Once they are ready, she’ll move them to a rescue in Chester County for outdoor enclosures and more flying opportunities before finally releasing them in a barn near the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border. See Bats pg 2
Summer Fruits • Sweet & Tart Cherries • Bi-Color Sweet Corn • Tomatoes & Blackberries • Peaches & lots more
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BY CATHY MOLITORIS
A punch put Harrison Perry on the path to a lifetime of service. When he was a teenager, Perry, now 96 years old, got into a fight with another boy. The pair ended up in front of a justice of the peace. “He gave me two choices go to jail or join the Army,” Perry recalled. “I chose the Army.” Perry spent 22 years in the Army and served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Upon his retirement in 1969, he worked as a security guard for Shippensburg University. A resident of Paramount Senior Living in Maytown, Perry was recently recognized for his military service by Blankets of Honor, a nonprofit that presents veterans with blankets depicting the branch they served in. “I was surprised,” Perry said, when he learned he was going to be honored by the organization. Donald Kissinger, a member of the Mount Joy VFW Post 5752,
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Luthercare Awards Nursing Scholarships . . . .3 Library Posts July Programs . . . . . . . . . .6 Business Directory . . . . . .8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9 House Of Worship . . . . . .12
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