NF [(E rr BOX 334 BRIGHTON, Ia ~~? BRIGHTON BINDERY 0 wt hud EIT Ty) Vol. 99, No. 21 Wednesday, June 1, 1988 25 Cents Parades and services marked Memorial Day in the Back Mountain American flags flew in the breeze on homes, businesses and in ceme- teries this past weekend throughout the Back Mountain, in honor of the thousands of American veterans killed in military action since the time of the Civil War to the present. arades in communities of the Back Mountain traditionally hon- ored the deceased veterans and ° services were held at honor rolls and in cemeteries where wreaths were placed on the gravesites. As they have done for more than 20 years, Jackson Township Fire Company’s Ladies Auxiliary held its’ annual Memorial Day services, Saturday, this year in front of the re hall's honor site on Chase Ea Road. Irene Kasko Preslipski, who has assisted in coordinating the serv- Aces for many years, participated in the service. The Very Rev. ert Nahas offered his tradi- nal memorial prayer and the Rev. Laurence M. Olszewski, C.S.C., vice president of external affairs, King’s College, delivered the spiritual memorial address. Captain Henry Chance, U.S. Army Reserve, was the main speaker. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts also took part in the memorial service. A panorama of red, white and blue fluttered in the wind at Chapel Lawn along the Harveys Lake Highway where tall flags reached gerd the sky and small individ- 1 flags on each veterans grave paid honor to the servicemen buried there. {@The parade of flags at Chapel ‘wn have become an annual trad- ition and is an awe-inspiring sight to passersby. Daddow-Isaacs American Legion Post 672, Dallas, held its annual Memorial Day Parade, Lake-Lehman graduation #ate is set for June 10 The senior class of Lake-Lehman High School has scheduled its com- mencement and class activities. Commencement will be on Friday, June 10 with picture, infor- mation and practice sessions to be held between June 3 and June 10. Speakers will include Mrs. Jean iy a teacher at the high ool; Matthew Reinert, Valedicto- n; Lori Rogers, Salutatorian, and Rev. Michael Shambora, paster of the Lehman United Meth: odist Charge. Other activities include moving- up day and the senior brunch on June 3, Class Night at 7:30 p.m. on June 8 and the senior picnic on June 9. Lehman United Methodist confirmation set for June 5 The Lehman United Methodist Charge Youth will be confirmed at special ceremonies on June 5 at the Fetown UMC at 10 a.m. and the Lehman UMC at 11:15 a.m. by Rev. Michael Shambora. The youth have fulfilled their requirements by attending classes, doing assignments, participating in various field trips, and being instructed in church history and the history of the UMC. Those being confirmed are: Joani Ide, Sarah Sorber, Amanda Jones, Jason Gearhart, Tracy Margellina, Robert VanGorder and Ron Edwards. Those participating with the class were: Mrs. Judy Dawe as co-teacher, Mrs. Genevieve Hall, and Mr. Curtis Swanson, Mr. Jim Lee and Rabbi Shovlin of B’nai B'rith. Families and friends of of the youths are cordially invited to attend the celebration, as the young persons confirm the vows made for them at their baptism. Then, on June 12 the youth will lead in the worship services. Monday, beginning at 9 a.m. from the Amer- ican Legion Post Home. The Legionnaires, members of the Legion Auxiliary, Honor Guard, Dallas High School Band, Dallas Fire Company and scouts partici- pated. A memorial service was held at the honor roll in the center of Dallas after which the marchers proceded to Warden Cemetery where services were held for the veterans. The trumpeteers then marched to Chapel Lawn where a service was held. It would not Be Memorial Day without the Sweet Valley Firemen’s parade which has been held for more than forty years. Marchers paraded along the main road to the Ross Township Elementary School for the Volunteer Firemen’s Carni- val beginning at 1:30 p.m. Floats, the Lake-Lehman Band, boy and girl scouts, fire companies and other units participated and fireworks were scheduled for 9:30 p.m. A Memorial Mass: was held at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Carver- ton with Holy Communion distrib- uted at 10:00 a.m. Families and friends of deceased loved ones had spent days putting flowers on graves and placing lighted vigil candles beside them. The candles burn for seven days and when people drove by Monday night, hundred of candles flickered like red fireflies in the darkness of the night. Parades were not held in every Back Mountain community but all the ‘cemeteries from the smallest and oldest to the newest and larg- est displayed flowers or plants of every color and flags commemorat- ing veterans waved in the breeze, honoring those who died in the service of their country. REMEMBERING — Several services and parades were held in the Back Mountain to commemorate Memorial Day. In the photo above, Leonard Harvey addresses the crowd at Warden cemetery during the 53rd annual service organized by Daddow-Isaacs Post 672 of the American Legion. Below, a Jackson Township ceremony included a Irene | Henry Chance, 402nd MP, Sam Wilkes, placing. Shown are, from left, wreath sok O Praslipaki, Gpbay oy Scout Troop 232, Dallas,Bill Puchalsky, Cub Scout Den 4, Trucksville, Ricky Macri, College, Very Rev. Den 5, Rev. Laurence M. Olszewski, C.S.C., King's Herbert Nahas and Grace Fielding, president of the Jackson Township fire department auxiliary. Machell Avenue proposal is withdrawn, will be resubmitted BY CHARLOT DENMON Staff Writer Dallas area residents who attended last Thursday’s hearing on the proposed construction of 15 townhouses on Machell and Sterling Avenues came away with their questions unanswered when the developers abruptly withdrew their request for a variance and said they would reapply immediately. Developers Flack, Wallach and Moreck Ltd. of Kingston had origi- nally requested the hearing before the Dallas Zoning Board after Zoning Officer Drew Fitch had denied a building permit because he was of the opinion the construc- tion of the 15 townhouses on the 51 acre parcel of land required a variance of the borough’s zoning law. Borough solicitor Robert Opel presided and explained the purpose of the meeting to the more than 100 persons attending. Atty. Mark McNealis, counsel for the developers, stated that since the area was zoned R-1, it was his clients contention that single or two-family dwellings could be built on the Machell Avenue properties without a variance, whether detached or semi-detached, sepa- rated by vertical walls, with the exception of mobile homes. Atty. McNealis stated that protesting res- idents must bear the burden of proof that the proposed two-family dwellings would be in anyway inju- rious to the neighborhood. Zoning officer Fitch advised the need for a variance because of the necessity that there must be a minimum sideyard of at least 10 feet for a single dwelling and 20 feet for a double dwelling. Atty. McNealis stated that each side yard would be in excess of 20 feet so his clients believed that a variance was unnecessary. In answer to Atty. Opel’s question whether or not the developers had a sketch of the project, McNealis said that the developers had presented drawings of the plot plan to the zoning officer and requested that these be posted, which was done. Flack, Wallach and Moreck Ltd. planned to build one dwelling on the lot bounded by Machell Avenue and the other units on 100x150 feet lots, according to Atty. McNealis. McNealis then stated that his clients believed that the zoning officer was in error in advising the developers that a variance must be requested before a permit could be granted and asked that the zoning board appeal the firm’s application. Atty. Chester Newhart, who rep- resented a group of residents opposing the townhouses, chal- lenged part of McNealis’ presenta- tion claiming that McNealis was introducing a new argument which was not publicly advertised. At that point Atty. McNealis requested that the developers appli- cation be withdrawn with the understanding they could reapply immediately without prejudice, and the board granted the request. Once an application is filed, the zoning board will schedule a new hearing within 30 days and hand down a decision with 45 days from the date of the hearing. Taxpayers may challenge Dallas school board vote BY CHARLOT DENMON * Staff Writer Dallas School Board’s adoption last week of a tentative budget of $11,394,711 which increases real estate taxes by 10 mills, if adopted, has met with the protests of many taxpayers. And some residents are- planning to investigate whether the meeting violated laws for the con- duct of public meetings. William Bachman, who has two children in the Dallas Schools, had the initial impression that the school board was in violation of the Sunshine Laws in the manner in which the directors conducted the meeting. “Having been active in municipal government and chairman of a municipal board, I know how par- liamentary law should work,” Bachman said, ‘“The purpose of the meeting should be explained and there should be an opportunity for public input. “It didn’t take the board mem- bers more than one and a half minutes to approve the tentative budget after director Ernest Ash- bridge’s financial report. There was no discussion among the board members and the budget appeared to be just pushed through. I checked with the Department of Community Affairs later and the official in that office said there might have been a violation. If that proves to be the case, we can’t let the future of our school district be based on an improper. and illegal act.” Bachman said that anyone who wants to accompany a group of parents who plan to determine’ the validity of the meeting, is welcome to do so. Unlike past protests by tkpay: ers, the increase in millage in the 1988-89 budget is considered too low by a number of taxpayers con- tacted. The consensus of opinion from those taxpayers surveyed by The Dallas Post was that although they were not pleased about higher taxes, they realized that in order to provide quality education to stu- dents an increase in millage was a necessity. “Over the past three years there has been only a five mill increase in the Dallas District when other districts around us have increased their millage as much as 30 mills,” said one taxpayer, who asked to remain anonymous. Taxpayers are opposed to the recommended cuts in the senior high school programs such as driver’s education, secondary in- school suspension, a part-time sci- ence teacher and a part-time busi- ness teacher, and a three-quarter time nurse. Bachman and several other tax- payers objected to the 10-mill increase explaining that the cuts being made are in key subjects such as science and business.Bach- man also commented on the The Dallas Post has new owners this week. The Post and its sister newspaper, the Abington Journal have been purchased by Bartsen Media, Inc., a company formed by Ronald and Charlotte Bartizek of Kingston. The newspapers had been owned by Pennaprint, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Press-Enter- prise, Inc. of Bloomsburg, since 1979. Press-Enterprise publishes the daily Press-Enterprise in Blooms- burg and Berwick, the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal, and Underwater USA, a national maga- zine for the diving industry. The Dallas Post is one of the oldest newspapers in northeastern Pennsylvania; it will enter its 100th year of publishing next year. A.A. Holbrook started the newspaper in early 1889 after resigning his posi- tion with the Wilkes-Barre Times. Holbrook published the newspaper until 1895. In the years since, The Post has been owned by several individuals including Howard Risley and his wife, Myra, who bought the newspaper in 1930. Risley and his wife published The Post until his death in 1962. Myra Risley continued as publisher and remarks made that enrollment in senior high was on the decline.‘ ‘Because there is a decline in one or two classes in the senior high school should not mean reduc- ing financial support of other classes in the lower grades,” he said. A retired board member, who asked not to be identified, said that another problem is that there is a need for boiler repairs in the school that will cost an additional $250,000 but thereis not $250,000 in the budget nor is there a special fund for replacing boilers. There has never been a depreciation fund and he claimed the district is sitting on a powder keg without such a fund. There were approximately 50 stu- dents at the board meeting, who requested that courses be left in the senior high program. these stu- dents were concerned about their future. Several parents said after the meeting that it was unfortunate that they will have to seek legal injunction on the board action but they will do what they have to do to resolve the problem. They also plan to encourage qualified district residents to seek election to the board in the future, citizens who will be willing to do what needs to be done to improve the district. Lee Williames, who alse has chil- dren in the district, was the first person to pick up the fact that the board might be out of order. “They have failed to do long range planning over the years and have not sought adequate advice,” . said Williames. “Without long range planning, Dallas can’t keep up with surrounding districts.” Williames sees no legal excuse for the district to reduce more classes in order to hold down taxes. He said he doesn’t like to pay higher taxes any more than anyone else but in order to support the school district, higher taxes are necessary. “There may be a .decline in enrollment in senior high but what about the increasing enrollment in elementary classes,”” Williames said. “They will be coming up to the high school in time. If every- thing in the school was perfect, there would be no need for a tax increase but that is not the case. There is an important need to build up the science program and add necessary equipment,” he said. “If there had been an increase of five mills each year, there wouldn’t be a need to raise the millage all at once. The district sold three schools but not as it should. Now they have a problem of overcrowding in ele- mentary classes and no funds to finance any of the recommenda- tions made by the consulting firm they employed,” Williames said. “I agree with those taxpayers who realize that 10-mills is an insufficient increase for quality operation of the district. High taxes are not favored but are necessary to improve programs and mainte- nance,’ he concluded. New owners publish The Post this week editor until 1968. Among others who have published the newspaper was former Governor Wiliam Scran- ton.Scranton sold the newspapers to Ray Carlson in 1975 and Carlson then sold them to Press-Enterprise in 1979. Ronald Bartizek was advertising director of The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre for 4.2 years prior to purchasing the Post and Journal. He and Charlotte have both been in the newspaper industry since the early 1970's, having worked at daily and weekly publications in New England before moving to Kingston in 1983. The Dallas Post now occupies an office’in the Route 309-415 Plaza on Memorial Highway, only two doors away from its previous quarters there. Pennaprint continues to hold its office for use by personnel involved with the Business Journal. Both The Post’s mailing address, P.O. Box 366 and its phone number, 675-5211, remain the same. No changes in publishing sched- ule or format are planned for The Post. The new publishers’ plan to strenghthen local news coverage and to gradually redesign the pages to make them easier to read and more attractive.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers