Vol. 93, No. 47
int Inc.
25 Cents
A scarce breed
By DOTTY MARTIN
Associate Editor
The craze continues, and while latest reports
have several Back Mountain people joining the
national search for Cabbage Patch Kids, there still
is no sign of the soft, cuddly dolls in our area.
Although Marsha Landis, proprietor of Back
Mountain Lumber Co. in Shavertown, says calls
requesting the dolls have decressed in the past few
months, Mike Dzanko of Valentine's Toys and
Hardware on Route 415 in Dallas finds himself
answering more such calls these days.
“We get at least 10-12 phone calls a day,” Dzanko
said. ‘I think more people are calling now because
the dolls are so hard to get.”
Cabbage Patch Kids, which come complete with
birth certificates and adoption papers, have been
stealing hearts nationwide for some time now while
the Coleco Co., manufacturers of the dolls, tries
desperately to meet orders.
Officials from the Coleco Co. have said the
company will produce nearly 2 million dolls
between now and Christmas. Stores across the
nation, however, have been unable to meet custom-
Dallas Posi/reny Poynton
ers’ demands as the dolls are sold within minutes
‘afler being displayed on sielves.
A riot at the Zayre Department Store in Wilkes-
Barre last week saw approximately 1,000 people
pushing and shoving to get their hands on an
advertised 250 dolls and resulted in the hospitaliza-
tion of a Kingston woman suffering from a broken
leg.
Back Mountain retail stores have been rather
fortunate - they have ‘avoided such riots, but only
because the Cabbage Patch Kids have not been
found in area stores since the summer months.
Mrs. Landis said her store sold quite a few
Cabbage Patch Kids during the summer months,
however, once Coleco’s advertising campaign took
hold on the nation’s shoppers, Cabbage Patch Kids
were too hard to get.
“We haven’t had any since last summer,” Mrs.
Landis said. ‘‘Our supplier keeps telling us we will
get some if he can get them but he hasn’t even been
able to get any lately.”
Dzanko, who hasn’t seen Cabbage Patch Kids in
the Dallas area for a while, said he has a waiting
list in the store. “I have 30 names on the list,”’ the
store manager said. ‘‘I could have taken 300 names,
(See KIDS, page 8)
By JANE C. BOLGER
Staff Correspondent
John Gabriel has decided to
appeal the Dallas School Board’s
decision to fire him from his posi-
tion as Supervisor of Grounds and
Maintenance. The appeal is cur-
rently in the process of being drawn
up by Attorneys Arthur Piccone and
Ronald Santora who represent
Gabriel.
The appeal will be filed before the
Luzerne County Court of Common
Pleas to be heard when a date is
available on the court calendar.
This actual court trial of the Gabriel
before the Dallas School Board
which ultimately voted Nov. 25 to
dismiss Gabriel.
Prior to the final vote, which was
8-1 with Patricia Gregory casting
the single no-vote, the same Dallas
School Board had fired Gabriel
twice before. Their original action
last August was reworded in Sep-
tember following a trip to court and
then challenged by Gabriel and his
attorneys during the subsequent
hearings that
months.
until the final vote on his firing was
taken the day after Thanksgiving.
His last actual working day. was
Nov. 23 due to the holiday but he
returned to the school again last
Tuesday.
“I was escorted to my office to
remove the contents of my desk,”
Gabriel reported. “Then I left.”” He
noted that his “‘escorts’ were Gerry
Wyecallis, Supervisor of Curriculum,
and Dan Poorman, the principal of
both schools.”
Gabriel is at home at Harveys
Lake now awaiting scheduling of his
appeal. “It would be difficult to find
work,” he said, ‘because I may be
leaving in a short time to return to
my job in Dallas.”
Presently, supervision of mainte-
nance for the Dallas School District
is. being accomplished by ‘‘an
interim plan,” according to Dallas
School District Superintendent Dr.
Richard A. Shipe. ‘‘Any problems
are being handled by central admin-
istration,” he explained, ‘“pendin
the reorganization of the schoo
board.”
The new school board was sched-
uled to be seated Monday evening
and Dr. Shipe stated, “my recom-
mendation to them will be to take
spanned three
action on advertising this vacancy
as soon as possible.” Dr. Shipe
By JANE C. BOLGER
Staff Correspondent
“They should be patted on the back,” was one
Kingston Township resident’s enthusiastic comment on
hearing that the township fathers plan to lower taxes
by two mills next year. The unexpected tax reduction
was appropriately announced at a Thanksgiving Eve
Supervisors meeting which was open fo the public.
The public, however, consisted of ‘only six people,”
according to Township Manager Mark Kunkle who
formally presented his ‘Budget Message 1984’ at the
meeting.
“I wasn’t there, but I’m for it 100 percent,” said a
Trucksville resident, adding ‘‘who would expect to get
good news at a budget meeting.”
“Hey, I voted for those guys and they didn’t even
tell us before the election that they were gonna do
this,” said an old-time Shavertown resident. “Those
guys’’ who unanimously voted to approve the tentative
budget were Kingston Township Supervisors Herbert
Hill, Daniel Wisnieski, Ambrose Gavigan, Edward
Price and Willard Piatt.
“I’m very pleased, but what does it really mean?”
asked a housewife from Rose Village.
The answer was given by Mark Kunkle who
recommended the tax cut. “This reduction in millage
will mean a decrease in tax of $2 for every. $1,000 of
assessed value for the property owner,” Kunkle said.
In other words - if you own a home assessed at
$5,000, you will pay only $25 in real estate taxes to
Kingston Township next year while you, paid $35 this
year. Unfortunately, Kunkle pointed out, the same
property owner will pay a total of 147.5 mills in taxes
with the remainder distributed as 32.5 mills to Luzerne
County and 111 mills to the Dallas School District.
“We get the smallest percentage of the real estate
taxes, but this two mill drop is a 29 percent reduction
in taxes for our municipality,” Kunkle stated. He said
“community growth’’ had a lot to do with making the
tax reduction feasible neting specifically ‘‘an increase
in revenue from Earned Income Tax’ as well as
“returns on investment of idle funds.”
“It’s good to know we're fiscally sound,” com-
mented a Druid Hills businessman, adding “I’m proud
to live here
Not Surprisingly, the overall reaction of Kingston
Township residents to the news of a tax reduction was
good as they wait the final approval of the budget
scheduled for Dec. 14.
Farmers
shoot at
spotters
By JANE C. BOLGER
Staff Correspondent
One hunting season incident has
developed into a criminal matter as
two farmers from Franklin Town-
ship have been arrested for alleg-
edly shooting at four people spot-
lighting deer on their property.
Martin Murray, 57, and his son,
William J. Murray, 28, have been
charged with; Recklessly Endanger-
ing Another [Person and Criminal
Mischief. Arresting officer is Pa.
State Trooper Stanley Jezewski.
Police report that Jeffrey Norris,
Kimberly McGovern, James
McGovern and a juvenile, all from
Pittston, first attempted to enter the
farm through an opening in a wall.
The youths, who are all charged
with Criminal Trespass, were spot-
lighting deer when the Murrays
allegedly opened fire on the field.
Approximately one dozen shots
were fired, according to police
reports and two tires of McGovern’s
1977 Chevy Blazer were shot out
with bullet holes also apparent in
the body of the vehicle. The spo-
tlighters were allegedly trapped in a
corn field by the farmers and a
struggle took place there for the
guns.
State Police confiscated the weap-
ons and pressed charges against
both the Murrays and the trespass-
ers on their property.
The farmers were arraigned
before District Magistrate Earl
Gregory with bail being set at $2,000
each for both William J. and Martin
Murray pending a hearing.
Michael
old and
Dallas Post/Peggy Poynton
Harveys Lake,
last Tuesday.
Madrigal singers
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell -
.college’s 14th Annual
Members of the Dallas Gridiron
Believe it!
through the window of the garbage packer at the Da
one day last week. Could it be he is practicing to be
will soon be heading toward greener pastures | in Ho
just that the door of the trick dossit t en
further stated that the new school
board will make the decision on just
how Gabriel’s former post will be
filled.
There has been speculation that
the post may not be filled by
another supervisor, but that all
maintenance and grounds work for
the school district may be taken
over by an outside firm. In addition
to making this decision, the new
Dallas School Board will also inherit
the pending John Gabriel court
case.
Club honored Dallas High School
football players, their parents and
special guests at the Fourth Annual
Football Banquet held Dec. 4 at the
Newberry Publick House, Dallas.
Trophies provided by the club
were presented to Tony Tucker,
Mike Borton, Tim Finnegan, Gregg
Manusky, Tom Levitsky, Joe Simon,
Bernie Walsh, Sam Noone, Joe
Walsh, Jack Hines and John Far-
re
Head Coach Ronald Rybak and
his assistants, George Dombek,
Chuck Suppon and Bill Silvi
presented plaques to 22 sophomores,
15 juniors and 20 seniors. They also
presented letter jackets to the sen-
iors including Mike Borton, Don
Dickson, John Farrell, Ed Fedrow,
Tim Finnegan, Jim Gorman, Tim
Grove, Jack Hines, Tom Levitsky,
Paul Lewis, Gregg Manusky, Sam
Noone, Brian Oeller, Joe Ostrowski,
Bernie Riley, Joe Simon, Ken
Thompson, Tony Tucker, Bernie