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Editor's notes
A GREAT BIG WELCOME to
Rick Rogers of Dallas who recently
joined our sports staff.
Rick is a 1981 graduate of Dallas
High School and a 1985 graduate of
West Virginia University where he
received a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Journalism,.. 3
While at West ERY
Virginia, Rick
wrote for the stu
dent newspaper,
The Daily Athen-}
aeum for three
semesters, cover-
ing business and !
sports. He also r
covered the West
Virginian Legis DOTTY MARTIN
lature and edited a journalism labo-
ratory publication, “Take One.”
At The Post, Rick will be responsi-
ble for covering boys’ high school
sports, summer recreational sports
and “for writing a weekly sports
column,
I honestly feel with the addition of
Rick Rogers to our sports staff, The
Dallas Post’s sports coverage will
be even better than ever - just one
more step in our attempt to please
our readers as much as possible.
-0-
SPEAKING OF SPORTS, The
Dallas Post will once again be
awarding a male and female athlete
from both Dallas and Lake-Lehman
High Schools with its annual Stu-
dent-Athlete Awards.
The recipients of these awards,
who are decided upon by members
of The Dallas Post editorial staff,
must be seniors, must be involved
in a varsity sport for at least one
year, must maintain an above-aver-
age grade point average, must be
considered leaders among their
peers and should be community
involved.
Although The Dallas Post seeks
input from guidance counselors and
athletic directors at both Back
Mountain schools in an attempt to
make the best possible selection, the
final decision is made by the news-
paper staff.
These awards are decided upon
and presented at the conclusion of
the sports seasons at both local high
schools.
-0-
BARBARA STRAUB of Dallas
certainly surprised herself and
everyone around her when she
recently pulled her own name out of
a hat as the winner of a 50-50
drawing.
Seems the members of the Dallas
Fire and Ambulance Auxiliary have
started a monthly drawing and will
have someone pick the winner at
the organization’s monthly meet-
ings.
Barbara was chosen to pick the
winner for the first drawing and, lo
and behond, picked her own name.
No, it is not a fixed drawing, but
rather sheer coincidence. Wasn't it,
Barbara?
-0-
CHRIS OPALICKI of Dallas is
being awarded the first-ever Dallas
Post Dog Walking Award for his
efforts in making sure the family’s
two dogs get their fresh air and
exercise on a daily basis.
Chris, whose mother, Jane Cum-
mings, works in our office, calls his
mother every day upon his return
home from school. Jane, however,
is unlike any other mother who
would normally ask her child if he
had a good day in school, what he
did, and so on and so forth.
Instead, Jane's first question to
Chris is, “Did you walk the dogs?’’
According to Mom, Chris needs to
be reminded about walking the dogs
so Jane wants to be sure to remind
him of his daily chore. It’s become
quite a joke around the office these
days because I honestly believe
Jane is going to go home from work
some day and the dogs are going to
rat on Chris by telling Jane they
didn’t get their daily walk.
-0-
MUCH THANKS to Rob Warner
who called and corrected us on the
identification we ran under our
Remembering photo on the Com-
mentary page last week.
Seems we reported the photo was
one of Main Street, but according to
Mr. Warner it was Church Street in
Dallas that was depicted in the
Thanks, Rob, we sure do appre-
ciate your concern. :
==
HELEN FRANKLIN, our Jackson
Township correspondent, stopped in
with some news bits the other day.
But, with her she brought a copy
of The Dallas Post from 1906 and,
boy, did we have a good time
looking through that.
Helen pointed out that her
mother’s name, Maud Bulford, was
listed in a story about school teach-
ers being elected. Seems the Dallas
Borough School Board had elected a
few teachers for the Dallas Schools
and Mrs. Bulford was among them.
Her salary - $35 a month.
Also in this 1906 publication was
an advertisement from Fowler Dick
and Walker the Boston Store (now
called Boscov’s for all you youn-
guns). The ad was the last call on
summer goods and offered 17 cent
striped white goods for 10 cents,
men’s 50 cent colored underwear for
37% cents, ladies’ 25 cent vests for
19 cents, misses’ black mercerized
lack stockings for 121, cents a pair
cents or 3 pairs for 25 cents.
And, to think, that was a lot of
money in those days.
-0-
IT WAS SO NICE to meet Mike
Williams of Shavertown the other
day. Mike, an employee at the
Dallas Post Office, is the brother-in-
law of a girl I played basketball
with during my high school days.
Mike, who also has basketball in
his blood, having coached a team at
Gate of Heaven at one time, tells
me my former high school team-
mate is now bouncing two babies
rather than basketballs.
Anyway, nice to meet you, Mike -
and keep up that pleasant smile at
the Dallas Post Office.
y &
WELCOME HOME to our own
Charlot Denmon who returns home
from a two week pleasure trip in
Florida.
Charlot, who serves as both a
staff correspondent and an account
executive for The Dallas Post, was
vacationing in the sunshine with her
brother, Tex Wilson, and other
family members. It’s a good thing
the local gang chose someplace
other than Fort Lauderdale to frolic
in the sunshine - seems the college
kids who used to get away with
everything but murder during
spring break in Fort Lauderdale are
finding themselves in a different
predicament this year - mainly
behind bars and I don’t mean the
ones in which you bend your elbows.
-0-
CONGRATULATIONS are
extended to the Dallas High School
girls’ basketball team for their
recent efforts in District 2 playoffs.
The Lady Mountaineers, who
advanced further than any other
local team in post-season cage
action, were eliminated in their
quest for a state championship by
North Schuylkill Saturday night.
However, the locals were defeated
by a mere 10 points after being a 25-
30 point underdog and were a good
representative of District 2 girls’
basketball.
The Dallas Post staff extends a
hearty round of applause to head
coach Kit Karuza and his squad for
a job well done. The Dallas School
District can certainly be proud of its
female cagers.
(Dotty Martin is Executive Editor
of Pennaprint Inc., publishers of
The Dallas Post.)
CONCERN, a professional foster
care agency, has opened a regional
office to serve the northeastern
counties of Pennsylvania.
Jim Bunnell, director of the
newly-opened office in Pittston,
reported that CONCERN is a pri-
vate non-profit corporation which is
licensed by the Pennsylvania
Department of Public Welfare.
Since beginning operation in 1978
with two foster homes serving eight
children, CONCERN, has grown to
serve over 500 children through its
offices in Berks, Bucks and Union
Counties.
County children and youth offices
or juvenile probation departments
refer children to CONCERN. In
most cases, the youngsters have
histories of abuse or neglect or have
been adjudicated as delinquent. The
goal for each of these children is to
provide a warm, loving family to
enable the youngster to develop into
a confident adult with successful
personal relationships.
Married couples who want further
information about CONCERN are
who are interested in becoming
foster parents should contact Mr.
Bunnell at the CONCERN office, 48
S. Main St., Pittston, Pa., 18640 or
phone 655-6343.
DAVID F. CONNER
General Manager
DOTTY MARTIN
Executive Editor
Linear Plant
occupied by Bloomsburg Mills.
Only yesterday
cut off from their jobs.
Murray.
by the American Red Cross.
security.
Auction in July.
Jr., 25 years.
years. ;
Tunkhannock.
Mr. and Mrs.: Gordon James; 45
By DOUGLAS JOHNSON
Special to The Dallas Post
A major lobbying battle is under-
way in the halls of Congress over a
controversial measure titled the
“Civil Rights Restoration Act.”
The bill is controversial partly
because it forces Congress to decide
whether hospitals which do not per-
form abortions should be penalized
for “sex discrimination.”
Under the leadership of Eleanor
Smeal, the National Organization
for Women (N.0.W.) has made
‘abortion rights” in general and
this bill in particular its top priority
for the 1986 congressional session.
Smeal predicted that 200,000 activ-
ists would assemble in Washington
for a “pro-choice” march on March
9.
But organizations opposed to
abortion, including the National
Right to Life Committee, regard the
bill as a major attack on the civil
rights of institutions and individuals
opposed to abortion.
The bill (HR 700-S. 431) broadens
the reach of four existing laws
which prohibit discrimination on the
basis of sex, race, age, or handicap
in federally funded programs.
The abortion problem arises with
respect to one of these laws, called
Title IX (“Title 9”). This law pro-
hibits discrimination ‘“‘on the basis
of sex” in federally funded educa-
tional programs.
Congress passed Title IX in 1972,
when in most states, it was a felony
to perform an abortion. Clearly,
Congress in 1972 did not intend to
require federally funded universi-
ties to provide abortions. Yet in
1975, federal administrators ‘inter-
preted” Title IX to say that all
federally funded universities must
provide abortions to staff and stu-
dents, or be guilty of “sex discrimi-
tive law.
As a result, current federal policy
on abortion is inconsistent. Since
1976, Congress has annually voted to
prohibit direct funding of abortion
in federal health programs. But
Title IX, as interpreted, requires
universities to subsidize elective
abortions for students and employ-
ees.
. The Civil Rights Restoration Act
would magnify this inconsistency
tenfold. If the bill passes without
amendment, the mandatory abor-
tion law will for the first time cover
those hospitals which have educa-
tional programs - that is, which
employ residents, interns, nursing
students, and the like - as most do.
Many hospitals do not perform
abortions, or perform them only
under extraordinary circumstances.
Under the Civil Rights Restoration
Act, the federal government would
put a gun to the heads of these
heads of these hospitals. They would
be forced to offer abortion on the
same basis as other ‘medical serv-
ices” - or give up their teaching
programs.
There are many - including those
who have strongly supported civil
rights legislation in the past, such
as the National Cnference of Catho-
lic Bishops - -who believe that
applying such a mandatory abortion
policy to hospitals would violate the
civil rights of countless hospital
administrators and staff persons
who do not wish to participate in
abortion.
adoption of an ‘‘abortion-neutral
amendment’ to the bill. Under this
amendment, sponsored by Con-
gressmen F. James Sensenbrenner
(R-Wisc.) and Tom Tauke (R-
Iowa), universities and hospitals
could either offer or not offer abor-
tion at their option. The amendment
does not interfere with institutions
which voluntarily provide abortion.
: Last May, a committee of the
House of Representatives approved
the Civil Rigths Restoration Act,
after. first adopting the abortion-
neutral amendment. N.O.W. and its
allies: declared that the amended
bill was\‘unacceptable.” They have
made it clear that they will not even
permit the bill to come to the House
floor for a vote, unless a majority of
House members first agree to vote
to remove the abortion-neutral
amendment.
Currently, a solid majority of
congressmen Support the Civil
Rights Restoration Act - but a
majority also support the abortion-
neutral amendment. No matter how
many pro-abortion advocates march
in Washington, it is unlikely that a
majority House will vite to force
hospitals to perform abortions.
Thus, by attempting tn use the
Civil Rights Restoration Act as a
vehicle to advance a pro-ybortion
agenda, N.O.W. will succeed'only in
killing the bill. \
Perhaps it is time for the leaders
of groups representing blacks) the.
aged, and the handicapped to ask
themselves whether a major dyil
rights bill should be sacrificed lor
the sale of N.O.W.’s pro-abortita
priorities.
(Douglas Johnson is Legislativa
Life Committee (NRLC), the
nation’s major pro-life organization,
consisting of 2,300 local chapters.
NRLC is headquartered at 419-7th
Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington ,
D.C. 20004. For further informaiton
call: (202) 626-8820.) :
LIBRARY NEWS
By NANCY KOZEMCHAK
Library Correspondent
The Back Mountain Memorial
Library concluded its first year in
the new library facilities on Hunts-
ville Road on Tuesday, March 4.
We had some large birthday cards
made and invited the patrons to
help us celebrate by offering them a
hershey kiss when checking their
books out. We found the ribbon
which was used in the ribbon cut-
ting ceremony and made two large
bows from it and hung them in the
main lobby of the library.
A large arrangement of flowers
decorated the antique sideboard in
the entryway, donated for the auc-
tion, and also the front desk.
Thanks, Barbara. A total of 296 boks
were checked out from the library
that day and, all in all, it was a nice
birthday celebration.
Our ‘Friends of the Library’ cam-
paign for 1986 got under way on
March 1st. This group came into
being in 1945 when the library began
to encourage individual support for
the library. Needless to say, the
cost of operating the library has
tripled since 1945 and we need
community financial support now
more than ever.
The ‘Friends’ campaign donations
are a part of our 1986 budget and we
hope to raise $3,000 during the
campaign. To date, donations have
reached $543. If you have not been
in the new library building, please
accept our invitation to visit and
become involved in your library.
We have added the USA Today
newspaper to our regular daily
newspaper collection which is
housed in the reference room. Other
newspapers received on a regular
basis are The Dallas Post, Suburban
News, The Times Leader, Citizens
Voice, The New York Times and the
Wall Street Journal.
I bought a nice white ceramic
rabbit the other day while deliver-
ing my regular monthly supply of
books to the Meadows Nursing
Center. They had nice ceramic
items for sale all made by the ladies
of the craft group at the Meadows.
A nice Easter and Springtime
reminder.
We had our first motorized wheel-
chair patron in the library last
week. Fred Broghamer of Dallas
hadn’t been in the library since 1982
and was very happy to find that
there was no problem with his using
the library. The ramp outside the
front entrance was designed with
the handicapped in mind and the
entire main library area is accessi-
ble for a wheelchair. The distance
between the stacks gives the wheel-
chair plenty of room.
The 1986 National Library Week
theme is “Get A Head Start At The
Library” and we are planning some
varied and interesting programs to
celebrate, from April 6 to 12. Today,
there is more need than ever before
for all of us to read better, write
better, and communicate better.
Your library can help in many
ways. Give us a try!
(Nancy Kozemchak is assistant
librarian at the Back Mountain
Memorial Library. Her column
appears weekly in The Dallas Post.)
STATE CAPITOL
ROUNDUP
By REP. FRANK COSLETT
Special to The Dallas Post
AN ATTEMPTED OVERRIDE of
Gov. Dick Thornburgh’s veto of a
bill which would have allowed insur-
ance companies to continue basing
auto insurance rates on gender
failed in the House this week. The
House voted 133-49 in favor of the
override motion. However, a total of
134 votes is required in the House to
override .a veto. Proponents of the
override attempt say they will try
again in the near future. If the
governor’s veto is not overturned,
insurance companies will: be
required to implement so-called
unixex insurance rates on June 1.
The plan would require companies
to charge young female drivers the
same rates as male drivers. Statisti-
cally, young males are involved in
more accidents than young females.
Rep. Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-Dau-
phin), who introduced the override
measure, argued that unisex insur-
ance discriminates against young
women by requiring them to pay
more for insurance. ‘Young women
are better drivers and should pay
rates accordingly...if we don’t vote
to override, 600,000 young women
will see their rates go up,” Piccola
told House members.
-0-
GROUNDWORK FOR Philadel-
phia’s planned $455 million conven-
tion center hit a snag when the
House voted overwhelmingly to
reject Senate-passed legislation
‘which would have created a govern-
ing board for the project. The House
surprised most observers by defeat-
ing the measure 128-65. Debate on
the bill centered on plans for minor-
ity participation in the construction
of the center and concern over who
would pay for construction cost
\overruns.
\ (Rep. Frank Coslett serves the
Wth Legislative District which
eicompasses the Back Mountain
ar€a. His state capitol roundup