, = SAYY THANKSGIVIN (2 (25) 00% : AES ED YE) i a SRR oa Dallas, PA Tuesday, November 21, 1989 Making the holiday happier for others By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer 35 Cents | gE) As most local families plan their Thanksgiving feasts and visits, some Back Mountain residents have spent the past few weeks working to make the holiday happier for people less fortunate than they. The aid will take the form of the things most of us take for granted food, clothing and shelter. The Dallas High School junior class took as their project this Thanksgiving, collecting and providing clothing for the needy fami- lies who are fed daily at the St. Vincent De Paul soup kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. For two weeks, the students collected clothes, made certain they were clean and in good condition, sorted them by size and category and packed them in boxes which they will deliver to the persons in charge of St. Vincent De Paul's. The day they deliver the clothing, the juniors will also stay and help serve meals to the less fortunate. The students of Westmoreland Elementary School and Cub Scout Pack 155, Trucksville, joined Channel 16 to ‘Feed-A-Friend’ Day by declaring Nov. 16 as Westmoreland's special day to bring do- nations of canned foods as they came to the cafeteria for lunch. The aim of the ‘Feed-A-Friend'’ project in the Back Mountain and throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania is to feed hungry families in the area for Thanksgiving. All of the food donated by the Westmoreland students will be taken to the Back Mountain Pood Bans in the Kingston Township building to be distributed to needy families in the Back Mountain. See FOOD, pg 2 FOOD FOR NEEDY - Westmoreland School students fill some of the bags with food for Back Mountain needy. From left are, Toni Gorgone, Mike Sabol, Timmy Dickson, Jonathan Meehan, Tara Oatridge, and Kathy Grundowski. (Photo by C.M. Denmon) § 4 -_— Sa . ~ Alleged arsonist's trial (One little Indian - “Five-year-old Christian Baloga of Harveys Lake has a ball playing an Indian in Ms. Monaco’s pre-school class at Little People Day Care School, Dallas. (Photo by Charlotte Bartizek) continued for third time By SCOTT A. DAVIS Post Staff A Trucksville volunteer (fire- fighter suspected of arson will not be going to trial this week as ex- pected, after he signed a third Wcontintiance to allow his trial to be “postponed. John Joseph Tibus, 30, is fac- ing two arson charges. Authorities have said they suspect him of set- ting several other blazes in the Back Mountain. The Luzerne County District At- torney’s Office had a November 19 deadline to bring Tibus to trial, but Tibus agreed to sign the continu- ance. If he had not signed, the trial would have had to start by last Sunday or the charges would have been dropped. “He signed about three continu- ances for us,” a District Attorney's See ARSON, pg 2 DER says it can't find source of Lake water contamination By SCOTT A. DAVIS Post Staff The state Department of Envi- ronmental Resources has closed its investigation into well water contamination at Harveys Lake, aying it is impossible to find the source. i Ss : SY PAS What, me worry? "There is no way to ascertain where the contamination is origin- gating from," said DER bureau of water quality spokesman Mark Carmon Monday. Carmon explained that the department had hydrogeologists See WATER, pg 5 ‘This gobbler at Pallman Farms in Clarks Summit doesn't seem a bit concerned that Thanksgiving is almost here. But his pose is a precursor of things to come. (Photo by Ron Bartizek) Bd ap Buck fever about to . HUNT SAFE - Ed Sherlinski, Pa. Game Commssion explains key points of deer season for public. grip area y CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer : Local hunters will join more than one million others on Monday, November 27 for the opening day of buck season, according to Ed Sherlinski, education and infor- mation specialist of the Pennsyl- vania Game Commission, Dallas. Traditionally, Potter, Tioga and Bradford Counties have the high- est deer harvest but Luzerne County holds its own. “In 1988, Luzerne County had 1913 buck killed,” Sherlinski said. “Bradford had 2,419. Bradford County had slightly over a total of 5,000 buck and doe, Luzerne County had almost 3,700, better than Sullivan and Susquehanna County.” “In many rural counties, deer hunting is a big business,” ex- plained Sherlinski. “People in the northern counties live all year on deer season. The deer attract countless hunters, who spend money while boarding or dining in the area during hunting season; having the buck cut up and A IR R- hunters wrapped, and spending money for various items.™ ho Displaying a minimum of 250 square inches of daylight fluores- cent orange material on the back, chest and head combined, the hunters may start trying for their buck a half hour before sunrise or 6:35 a.m. ; Buck season runs fora twoweek period ending Saturday, Decem- ber 9. Lately there has been an above average herd in Pennsylvania. They are a valuable natural resource which if managed wisely, are a public asset. Sherlinski explained that proper management of the deer herd means keeping the population under control. “This is done by having a special doe season, this year Dec. 11 through Dec. 13,” Sherlinski said.’ “Hunters need a special license for doe season to shoot a deer having no antlers or both antlers less than’ three inches long with a required” antlerless license.” : Ji See DEER, pg 2? Balash leads POW-MIA effort By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Michael J. Balash of Orange considers himself one of the fortu- nate Vietnam War veterans. He served in Southeast Asia for 22 months and returned home to the United States in one piece. Because of his concern for fel- low servicemen who weren't as lucky as he, Balash is now Na- tional Prisoner of War-Missing In Action Director of the Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc., “the people who care.” Balash works with other veter- ans coordinating different projects to promote public awareness of the organization. He also speaks before clubs, schools and other groups about the POWs and MIAs. The organization also sells brace- lets with different missing service- man's name on each one. There are seven from Luzerne County, 116 from Pennsylvania, and 2,338 from throughout the United States still missing. “In the last three years a lot of remains have been returned and although some are not genuine, the majority are bones of the United States Servicemen. There are still some over there who are living,” Balash said. “This has been con- firmed by the boat people and some agencies. About 200 MIA's have not been determined to be dead or alive. Private individuals have also brought out information. “A small percentage of veterans are there because they wanted to be but it is still believed others are still there,” Balash said. Balash said that right after the war, the Vietnamese said that there were none of our servicemen there but now they say there are some there in areas they can't control. “They were promised $32 mil- lion to rebuild their country but Congress voted it down on the grounds as to how the men were treated,” Balash said. “In Korea we know that there are 389 POWs never returned af- ter the Korean War. Over 20,000 POW's after World War II were unaccounted for.” There are 20,000 to 30,000 Vietnam veterans active in the United States, according to Balash. In Luzerne County, approximately 250 from posts in Wyoming and Nanticoke are active. “There are high and low points in public awareness of the veter- ans who never came back,” Balash said. “There are a lot of sympa- thetic people but those who be- come involved are fewer. It's only those who were hit who become interested.” A native of Edwardsville, Balash moved with his family to Montrose and in 1966 graduated from Mon- trose High School. Following gradu- ation Balash tried to find work but couldn't so in 1968 he went into the service and spent two years in the states before being shipped overseas until 1972 when he was discharged. He returned to his family in Edwardsville but in 1978 after he was married he moved to the Back Mountain. In 1983 Balash joined the Vet- erans of the Vietnam War, Inc., Wyoming Post, and as he talked about and read more about veter- ans who never returned to the ' states, Balash became more deeply involved. He realized that he could have been one of those who were left behind as a prisoner or a miss- ing in action soldier. Balash spoke recently at the Penn State Campus Allentown where the students showed inter- est, he said. Penn State has be- come more involved and the See POW, pg 5 Calendar....... 16 Classified.14-15 Editorials........ 4 Obituaries......2 Pol Michael J. Balash Orange resident heads ~ POW-MIA group nes RS a ice. Repont............. 2 Religious Services......6 SCHOOL. ......oid russians 12 Sports... oil ian, 13 Coming up: RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE - Fri., Nov. 24, Noon to 6:00 PM, Gate of Heaven School, Machell Ave., Dallas HARVEYS LAKE ZONING BOARD - Tues., Nov. 28, 7 PM, Harveys Lake Municipal Bldg., rte. 415 LEHMAN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY - Mon., Nov. 27, 8 PM, Lehman Twp. Municipal Bldg. RECYCLING - Sat., Nov. 25, 9AM-Noon, Harveys Lake Aluminum and glass only Municipal Bldg. : “ a a CO ll ie SD
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers