Benton Foundry held its 22nd annual company picnic on Saturday, August 12th at Knoebels Grove. It was a beautiful day in the grove and we enjoyed a good meal, prizes, games and rides. Many prizes were donated once again and appreciated by all. Thanks to all those that attended and made this event possible. A special thank you goes out to Annette Brown whose hard work has made this event possible the last 22 years.

The Benton Foundry Health Care Plan runs yearly from November to October. For the year dated 11/1/16 to 10/31/17, Benton Foundry paid the following to Capital Blue Cross (CBC). (This does not include dental and vision as you pay 100% of those premiums.)

There is an Excess Limits Policy for very large medical bills over $175,000 on top of this. The value of good health insurance is something you truly appreciate once you’ve had to use it. This is because you realize how much Benton Foundry pays that you do not. Until you have a major medical event, this is sometimes lost on you. It’s like Car or Homeowner’s Insurance in that you hope you never use it.

The top 5 people with medical bills totaled approximately $700,000 or 32% of the total $2,221,438. The numbers below represent an average breakdown of employees insured during the last 12-month period. Of note is that Benton Foundry insures your spouse presently which is different than what is in OBAMA Care.

Benton Foundry realizes you pay a significant portion of this total amount. Benton Foundry pays approximately three quarters (75%) of the total cost of the plan. So, the moral to the story is that health care has become very expensive, but we need it. Use it wisely. Use it effectively by trying to control your out-of-pocket cost and Benton’s ultimate cost. Use generic drugs where you can. If you need tests, know the purpose, cost and your out-of-pocket amount by asking questions of your health care provider. Exercise (working at the Foundry helps with this requirement), eat nutritiously, get your rest and go to the doctor annually for a checkup. Any questions, comments or suggestions on the above, please submit to Tim Brown.

As strange as it may seem to someone who is not a chemist, the movement of a single hydrogen atom from one side of a molecule to the other can change a simple naturally occurring food ingredient into a deadly substance.

The transformed ingredient I’m speaking of is trans fatty acid, or trans fats as consumers know them, a core component of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. For most of my life, trans fats were prominent in all manner of packaged, bakery and restaurant-prepared foods.

The descriptive “trans” refers to the fact that when a liquid vegetable oil like corn oil is treated to make it more solid and stable at room temperature—as, for example, in preparing margarine - a hydrogen atom moves from one side of a double chemical bond to the other so that two hydrogen atoms are now opposite one another instead of on the same side of the double bond.

That tiny molecular shift creates a substance that is now well known to be a potent precipitator of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac deaths. Trans fats, in fact, are far more deadly than the saturated fats that heart-conscious people have tried to limit for decades. Their damaging effects include a rise in artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, damage to the lining of arteries, and inflammation, which can destabilize arterial plaque and precipitate a heart attack or stroke.

A mere 2 percent increase in calories from trans fats can raise the risk of coronary heart disease by as much as 29 percent. Substituting a healthy fat like extra virgin olive oil or canola oil for these containing trans fats could prevent 30,000 to 100,000 premature deaths a year, the American Medical Association concluded in 2013.

Government regulations have sought to minimize or eliminate the use of artificially produced trans fats years after their hazards were first recognized in the 1990s. Faced with having to declare the trans fat content on food labels in 2006, many major manufacturers heeded consumer concerns and reformulated their products to avoid partially hydrogenated oils. Next year, thanks to a ban by the Food and Drug Administration, these oils will no longer be permitted in industry-prepared foods.

Michael Jacobson, head of the Center of Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group that has long called for a trans fat ban, noted that “government-sponsored research led to the understanding that a product considered safe for about 100 years was shown to be the most harmful fat in the food supply.”

Lest there be any doubt as to the value of banning trans fats, recent studies have demonstrated a remarkable benefit to the hearts and lives of residents in places where governments restricted the use of partially hydrogenated oils years ago.

Denmark was the first to act, banning trans fats from food products and virtually eliminating them from that country’s food supply in 2004. Within three years, the ban had saved an average of 14.2 lives per 100,000 people a year, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Starting in 2007 in New York City, New York State pioneered trans fat bans in this country. Scientists from the F.D.A. and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, analyzed death rates in New York counties that forbid artificially produced trans fats in food sold in restaurants and bakeries. When death rates in these counties were compared with those in similar areas without a ban, the researchers found that restricting trans fats resulted in 13 fewer cardiovascular disease deaths and a saving of about $3.9 million per 100,000 persons annually.

A more recent study showed a comparable decline in cardiovascular disease rates as well. By comparing counties with and without a trans fat ban in food service establishments, Dr. Eric J. Brandt, a cardiovascular disease fellow at Yale University School of Med-icine, found that three or more years later, heart attacks declined by 7.8 percent and strokes by 3.6 percent in counties with the ban over and above what occurred in counties without a ban, though the stroke numbers were not statistically significant.

In an interview, Dr. Brandt noted that many manufacturers have substituted palm oil, which is high in saturated fat, for partially hydrogenated oils. He said, “Even when saturated fat is used in place of trans fat, there’s still a net benefit,” although a heart-smart consumer should avoid too much saturated fat, including palm and coconut oil.

Dr. Brandt became interested in trans fat as a student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. In 2011 he published a paper pointing out misleading labeling practices that could result in people unwittingly consuming harmful levels of trans fats, a finding still relevant today. FDA labeling rules allow manufacturers to list as zero any amount of trans fat less than half a gram per serving. So, someone who consumes only three servings a day of foods that each contain .49 grams of trans fats would quickly exceed that .5 gram level.

“There really is no safe level for artificially produced trans fat,”

Dr. Brandt said. “It’s best to avoid all products that have any partially hydrogenated oils.” He noted, however, that less is better.

Canada, among other countries, lists trans fats down to a level of 0.1 gram per serving and he wondered why the United States doesn’t do likewise.

Complicating the trans fat picture is the fact that there are natural sources of this substance, found in meats and dairy products derived from ruminant animals.

“The jury is still out as to whether these are a hazard; the data is not clear about what natural trans fat means from a health standpoint,” Dr. Brandt said. He added, however, that “cardiologists mainly endorse a plant-based diet as the healthiest option.”

When anglers talk trout fishing destinations, the conversa-tion often turns to northwestern states. It’s no secret that states like Montana, Colorado and Wyoming offer incredible trout fishing. Northeastern states like Pennsylvania deserve their fair share of attention. With over 85,000 miles of streams, 4,000 lakes and ponds, plus Lake Erie, the “Keystone State,” offers plenty of water to find trout. So, let’s track down some of the best PA trout-fishing locations.

Sinnemahoning Creek: 15.7 miles of water branch off from the Susquehanna River and make Sinnemahoning Creek. Here anglers enjoy fishing for trout in natural surroundings of the Elk State Forest. Several productive fingers of the river like the Bennett and Driftwood branches fish also very well for trout.

Large trophy-size trout between 14 and 20 inches are now a part of the stocking program in certain areas. Put on by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Keystone Select program stocks these larger trout in only limited areas. Fish the First Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek for a chance at one of these prize trout.

Lackawanna River: Through restoration efforts, the Lacka-wanna River is as good or better wild trout fishery than ever before. Suffering from effects of acid runoff from old mines, the fishery is now alive and abundant with wild brown trout. In total, anglers have 11 miles of Class “A” Wild-Trout-Stream– classified water to fish from.

Dense woods and lush foliage line the banks of this beautiful river, but be sure to know the fishing regulations. You’ll find the Trophy Trout waters begin at the Gilmartin St. Bridge in Archbald and continue to the Lackawanna Avenue Bridge in Olyphant. This protected stretch requires artificial lures and anglers may keep only 2 trout, 14-inches or over.

Letort Spring Run: One of the most gorgeous places to fish in the entire state, Letort Spring Run sits near the town of Carlisle in Southeast PA. Foliage and tree growth around the spring is dense to the point of enclosing, making it jungle like fishing. The run looks deceptively shallow in places because of moss overgrowth on rocks though it holds enough room for wild trout to thrive. A mile-and-a-half of the run has a special Heritage Trout Angling designation. The section requires barb-less hooks, with catch-and-release fishing only. The browns in the run don’t average great size, but they’re better in the protected section. They’re also tougher to catch. Head down to the lower part of the run for easier casting and a better shot at a wild brown trout.

Lake Pleasant: Erie County, PA is home to the Lake Pleasant where anglers fish for all kinds of species. Anglers catch large-mouth bass, common carp, northern pike, and more than a handful of other fish. Among them and perhaps most sought out are rainbow trout with their larger lake trout relatives.Fishermen approach Lake Pleasant both from boat or on shore. The surrounding countryside boasts a northern hardwood forest like so much of PA does. Hemlock, sugar maple, and American beech trees follow as far as the eye can see and help maintain the health of the watershed. Troll the deep water for lake trout or cast salmon eggs from shore, either way you’ll enjoy the ambiance of Lake Pleasant.

Lake Erie: Another location for a shot at a trophy lake trout in PA is Lake Erie. Find a fair-weather day when the wind isn’t screaming and head out with some trolling gear. Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes, but it’s also the shallowest. Shallow water warms up in summer months which isn’t a good condition for lake trout. You’ll want to know where to find them.

Neil Strait passed away on August 13, 2017. Neil worked at Benton Foundry for 17 years. He was a robotic grinder (Foxall) operator. Our condolences to Neil’s family.

Roy Green, 93, passed away August 13, 2017. Roy worked for Benton Foundry for over 15 years, before his retirement. Our condolences to Roy’s family.

Paul Bartlow, Sr. passed away August 19, 2017. Paul worked for Benton Foundry for 39 years as a molder, retiring in March of 2012. Our condolences to Paul’s family.

Charles (Charlie) Hamilton passed away on October 25, 2017. Charlie started working for Benton Foundry in 1974. He worked in our molding department and pattern shop retiring in September of 2010. Our condolences to Charlie’s family.

Shirley Green passed away on October 29, 2017. Shirley worked at the foundry from 1988 through March of 2009. She worked in our grinding department. Shirley was married to Ron Green who was also a grinder. Our condolences go out to Shirley’s family.

Don Reichenbach passed away on December 25, 2017. Don worked at Benton Foundry for 37 years as a molder, before his retirement. Our condolences to Don’s family.