BRIGHTON,
aVol. 97, No. 46
25 Cents
LIU fla
By JOHN HOINSKI
Staff Writer
Recent published reports
focusing on the business prac-
tices of the Luzerne Intermedi-
ate Unit (LIU) 18 have
prompted area legislators to ini-
tiate a number of recommenda-
tions to reform the system.
A six-part series published
recently by The Wilkes-Barre
Times Leader on dealings by
both administrators and board
members of the LIU has raised
many ethical questions to how
the program is run,
The questions raised after The
Times Leader series have
caused legislators, including
Senator Charles D. Lemmond of
Dallas, to offer suggestions for
straightening out the program.
Among those recommenda-
tions made by the legislators to
reform the LIU system include
a price cap that would be placed
on all personal expenses
(travel, meals, ete.) incurred by
administrators and board mem-
bers which would not exceed a
News you need
Railroad office renders service
~The Scranton District office of the Railroad Retirement
Board renders service to all railroad employers and employ:
_ ees in Luzerne County.
~ The office, located in Room 301 of the U.S. Post Office and :
Federal Building in Scranton, is open Monday through Friday
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The telephone number is 346-3774,
_ For the convenience of persons who cannot use the facilities
f the office in Scranton, regularly scheduled itinerant service
provides during 1986. For Luverne County residents,
ess may be conducted at the So tial Security Administra-
tion Office, Room 2227, Penn Place, 20 N. Pennsylvania
Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, at 9:30 a. m. on "the second and fourth
Thursday of every month. (Except: Thursday, November 27
5 changed to Friday, November 28 and Tnursday, December
25, is changed to Friday, December 26.) .
Persons. who plan to visit any of the itinerant p
reed assistance but are unable to call in person ca
_ office give better service if they telephone or write the
District Office in advance. Persons should always furnish
eir social security account number and the purpose of the
. visit.
: School district conducts survey
The Dallas School District is presently conducting a needs :
assessment survey. Results of the survey will give the Long
oe Range Planning Committee the information necessary fo
establish goals and objectives that will be Incorporated into a
five-year plan.
It is important the survey be filled out as accurately as
. possible. District administrators would appreciate the return
| of the survey by November 28.
i Township sponsors decorating contest
The Kingston Township Recreation Commission is sponsor-
ing a Christmas Home Decorating Contest. Any resident of
- Kingston Township is eligible to participate. There are no age
_ limits. The only requirement is that the home must be located
in Kingston Township. Prizes will be awarded by the
Recreation Commission following judging which will be held
_ on December 21, 1986.
. Judging will be conducted by members of the Recreation
* Commission. Commission members idclude Edward Carey,
Everell “Cy’’ Chadwick, Mike Williams, Carl Goeringer, Jr.
| David Morris is chairman of the Commission. Township
! Supervisor Dan Wisnieski serves as liaison to the Commis-
sion.
Participants are urged to register at the Township Office in
person or by calling the office at 696-3809 Monday through
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deadline for registration
_ has been set at 4:30 p.m. on Decmeber 15, 1986.
B UGH reminds customers of LIHEAP
The UGI Electric Utility Division wishes to remind its
- customers of its Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP).
Because some of UGI’s customers will face tinancial
hardships with the payment of their electric bills this coming
pa funds fromthis program may be available to Bp
|. them. :
| = Funds are limited S0 o residents wishing to participate i in this
o program are urged to complete and application and mail it
| immediately as money will be given out on a first come, first
served basis. _
_ Anyone not yet receiving an application, should call the UGI
office at 288-7641. Those who have completed their applica-
tions should mail them to the UGI Corporation, 247 Wyoming
b Ave, P.O. Box 1389, Emgston, PA 18704-0389.
a ~ 5
Inside The Post
combined total of $5,000
annually.
Also, it was further recom-
mended that no director or
administrator should be eligible
for reimbursement for meals
unless they are on LIU business.
Under the list of improvements
submitted, both groups would
further be required to receive
prior case by case approval
before incurring any expenses
they expect to be reimbursed
for.
Board members representing
the LIU from the Dallas and
Lake-Lehman School Districts
don’t feel there has been any
legal wrongdoing, but welcome
suggestions to improve the
system.
“No, I don’t think the LIU has
done anything wrong as far as
the law is concerned,” said
Ernest Ashbridge from Dallas.
“But I welcome any suggestions
that would improve the system.
I know there has been a lot of
things written and if they (legis-
lators) want to change some
things, then that's fine with
me.”
Ashbridge has come under
only some mild criticism over a
reported nepotism incident
involving his wife, Betty. But he
says that charge is unfair.
“My wife was employed »y
the LIU before 1 became a
board member,”” Ashbridge
explained. ‘‘I became a member
in 1973 and she was working
there since 1972. So I had abso-
lutely no input into her hiring.”
Donald Jones, who has also
taken some heat over eating
practices at LIU expense, says
he, too, doesn’t feel the Unit has
ERNEST ASHBRIDGE
...accused of nepotism
done anything illegal.
“I don’t think we have done
anything wrong, but yeah, I
think some changes could be
made,”’ the Lake-Lehman repre-
sentative said. ‘‘Based on
what’s been written, I think we
could tighten up on spending
and some other things.”
William Price, Director of
Curriculum/Enrichment
ices at the LIU, also a Back
Mountain resident, did not
return any phone calls to The
DONALD JONES
...welcomes changes
Dallas Post despite repeated
attempts to reach him.
Price has come under heavy
criticism for his spending prac-
tices at LIU expense and has
already has a letter of repri-
mand placed in his file because
of an incident involving his wife,
Barbara.
That incident happened last
spring when there was an
attempt to pay Mrs. Price $1,632
for teaching an LIU course that
her husband actually taught.
By JOHN HOINSKI
Staff Writer
If the proposed 1987 Dallas
Borough budget is approved at
the December 16 meeting, road
superintendent Jerry Machell
will probably be out of a job.
Due to the loss of $18,300 in
Revenue Sharing Funds plus an
increase of approximately $30,
000 to $35,000 over last year’s
budget, Council has been forced
to take a number of steps to
meet next year’s expenditures.
Two of those steps include rais-
ing the millage from 9 to 14 and
eliminating the road superin-
tendent position, a move that
doesn’t sit well with Machell.
“I think it’s very unfair,”
Machell said. “I’ve been living
in Dallas all my life and to be
treated like this is just not good
business.”
Machell was at the first part
of last Tuesday’s monthly board
meeting, but had to leave to
plow the borough streets before
Council ‘made the proposal to
cut his job.
Board President Donald Shaf-
fer did not know if anyone on
Council had officially informed
Machell about the decision, but
Machell said he he did know
about it.
“I had to read about it in the
paper,”’ Machell said. ‘No one
ever sat down with me and
talked to me about it. Sure, I
(See ROAD, page 10)
iw
JERRY MACHELL
Calendar .........................i oie vee 28
Classified ..................................... 21,22
| Commentary ..........cccococoecsiensnennnenenee 11 | | Learning to give thanks Delss Peat seen
‘Obituaries gon oo Le 4 Third grade students in Mrs. Gelso’s and Mrs. Utter's clases at also made hats and shirt fronts to portray Pilgrims. Shown
the Dallas Elementary School used dried beans, pasta, seeds
and nuts to make cornucopias as a Thanksgiving project. They
here, from left, are Frank Geskey, Leah Vincelli, Greg Riley,
serssressaterninarsne suns 13, 14, 16, 17 Melissa Hughes, T.J. Browne and Cheryl Race.
Sports ..................
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