So a v <8 | | | AH he A 0% 3 %ede® LN OST Vol. 102 No. 4 Dallas, PA Wednesday, January 30, 1991 35 Cents wn oo SSS Many sewer violations found at Lake wy RICH JOHNSON Staff Writer Residents of Harveys Lake who are in violation of the borough's sewer ordinance may want to take notice—William Mann is looking for you. Mann, who was recently ap- pointed as environmental protec- tion officer, has found some resi- dents who are not connected to the borough's sewer system and has begun an investigation of the homes. So far Mann has found several possible violators and feels more may be forthcoming. “So far things are going quite well,” said Mann. “We are cur- rently negotiating with 14 residents who might have to connect to the lines.” Mann said he is serving as an ae: for the borough to find residents who are either not hooked to the sewer system and should be or who have faulty septic tanks. He is doing this by going door-to-door See SEWER, pg 3 - Homeowner ‘aiold to lower sgarage roof By RICH JOHNSON Staff Writer A Lake Silkworth man may have to take down the newly-installed second floor on his garage because it does not conform with township regulations. The Lehman Township zoning hearing board determined that the building was not legal at a hearing a night and said that the wner, Ray Hillman, must bring it into compliance. The hearing was called after Hillman put an addition on his garage so he could store a boat in it during the winter months. How- ever, the addition to the garage made the height of the building approximately 21 feet, which is six feet beyond thelegal township limit. Hillman went before the board in an effort to receive a variance to allow the structure to remain as it is. He explained to the board that because of property lines and a nearby stream he could not extend J garage horizontally so he in- = creased the height. “I added an upstairs to the ga- rage sol could store my things that See ROOF, pg 3 Calendar................ Classified.......... 13-15 Editorials.................. 4 Obituaries..............- 2 Police report............ 2 Property transfers....2 School...ii..iuviny 12 Sports... mii 13 AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE - Thurs., Jan. 31, 12 Noon to 6 p.m., Shavertown United Methodist Church, 163 M. Pioneer Ave. Community Events BACK MOUNTAIN MEMORIAL LIBRARY ANNUAL MEETING - Tues., Feb. 5, 8 p.m., at the library. Open to the public. The littlest cheerleader Jocelyn Gutowski picked up some good advice from Lake-Lehman cheerleader Becky Lamoreaux while watching a recent wrestling match at the high school. (Post Photo/Ron Bartizek) ————— EE ————— Bus drivers can change routes in snow By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer In the wake of last week's acci- dent in which a car slid into the front of a Dallas school bus on snow-covered roads, questions have been raised over whether buses should drive on slick roads. Transportation coordinators for both the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts say their drivers candecide whether or not aroad is passable. “The bus driver has the author- ity to use his discretion whether or not a particular road is safe to travel during inclement weather,” Lake-Lehman District transporta- tion coordinator Barbara Ross said in aninterview last week. “They are responsible for the students they have on the bus and when the roads are bad, it is the driver who is out there on those roads and it is up to him or her to make the decision whether a cer- tain road is passable. If the par- ents who live on a snow-covered or ice-covered road can't bring their children down to the end of the road, they should be certain the children aredressed to comply with the weather and allow them to walk down to the end of the road. “The state law says children may walk two miles before they have to be picked up by the bus. Don’t forget that there are other children waiting down the road at the next bus stop and we have to consider them as well. The school bus is not a tank and it cannot travel some roads that four-wheel drive vehicles can. Since they are so high, it is also possible for them to tip easier than other vehicles,” Ross con- cluded. Dallas School District has a similar policy. Mrs. Susan Farr, transportation coordinator at Dal- las, explained that drivers may use their own discretion about how safe the road is to travel with a bus in inclement weather. “In inclement weather, Mr. Emanuel and his son Jeff go out early to inspect the roads. If they believe some are not safe for the bus to travel, they report their decision to the administration and calls are made to the homes of children who live on the roads which are not considered pass- able. “This gives parents an opportu- nity to decide how they will get their children to school. In addi- tion, weather may change while the bus is on the road and if he comes to a road the driver believes is impassable, he can contact us on his two-way radio and we can get in touch with the parents,” Mrs. Farr explained. NAVAL OFFICER RETURNS - Lt. Commander Dan Withers, a Naval officer on the U.S.S. O’Brien, returned from the Persian Gulf Jan. 18 and Monday talked about his experiences with Dallas Elemen- tary fifth grade students who were his pen pals during the first semester of school. (Post Photo/Charlot M. Denmon) By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Dallas Middle School director of discipline Anthony Martinelli says that his punishment of two stu- dents who allegedly organized a sit-in to protest the war in the Persian Gulf did not violate their rights to free expression. “We don’t want to hamper our - students feelings or their right to free speech,” Martinelli said Friday after news reports of the discipline were published. But one of the students and her mother feel that the punishment was excessive, given that the stu- dents willingly cancelled the dem- onstration when told that it was against school rules. “We got wind of it and our staff took steps to avert the demonstra- By CHARLOT M. SENIMON Staff Writer A "The reroglingn number of men and women Being deployed to the ‘Mideast has prompted friends and neighbors to reach out in support of the families left behind. Two weeks into the war, vari- ous groups in the Back Mountain + and Wyoming Valley have organ- ized to offer encouragement and aid to those who are in need. Government agencies in the Wyoming Valley are organizing to offer relief for military families and in the Back Mountain, churches and other groups are planning to meet to discuss ways in which they can offer aid. Pastor Harriet Santos of the Shavertown United Methodist Church says that the Back Moun- tain Clergy Association will be meeting to make a decision about where relatives of men and women in the conflict may attend support groups. A support group was initiated January 29, at Mercy Center, meeting at 7 p.m. for family members who have relatives in the Mideast. This group is plan- ning to meet every Tuesday. In addition, Rev. Michael Sullivan and Rev. William Cusick of Gate of Heaven Church are available to talk with relatives on a one-to-one basis. Persons need only call for an appointment, The Shavertown United Meth- odist Church is available and open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily for Students meet sailor who was their Mideast pen pal By CHARLOT M. DENMON Staff Writer Fifth grade students of Dallas Elementary School were delighted Monday afternoon to entertain Lt. Commander Dan Withers as their guest speaker. Withers, a Dallas graduate and uncle of fifth grade student Joel Withers, was chosen as the stu- dents pen pal during the first se- mester of this school year when they heard he was aboard the U.S.S. O'Brien in the Persian Gulf. When the naval officer entered the school Monday afternoon, he was greeted by a fifth grade band playing and students singing the “Star Spangled Banner” while he had an official escort to the multi- purpose room where hewas greeted with applause by the students. Withers expressed appreciation on behalf of himselfand the service personnel on the ship for the many Dallas students punished for sit-in that never occurred tion,” Martinelli said, then ex- plained that teachers stopped the flow of student traffic in some corridors near the planned dem- onstration site. Kristy Ann Lopuhovsky, one of the two students who initiated the sit-in said she was just helping the — - Rt — - - BA aa — other girl who requested toremain anonymous. “I made only two phone calls and those were made from my home,” Kristy Ann said. “The sit-in was the other girl's idea in the beginning but neither of us knew we had to get permission from the school. My friend and some of the students started downstairs forthe | sit-in but it never happened be- cause school officials were told of the plans before it ever started.” See STUDENTS, pg5 | Groups, churches offer support for Desert Storm families On The Home Front persons who want to come in for | silent prayer. Rev. John Prater, who just re- turned from Germany, said that | Prince of Peace Church has no group as yet but perhaps they will now that he has returned and becomes involved in the congre- | gation’s ideas. In the meantime, for persons working in Wilkes-Barre, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is | open at 12 noon daily to all per- | Sons. Rev. Baer of St. Paul's Lutheran | Church, Shavertown, said the | church is open at 7:30 a.m. for a | prayer vigil for those persons going | towork aswell as others who desire to attend. Other support groups available to the Back Mountain persons are | located in Wilkes-Barreand canbe | contacted by calling the American Red Cross at 823-7161, orthe U.S. | Army support networkat 800-542- 9254. The Salvation Army center | offers assistance relative to food, See SUPPORT, pg 5 letters received from the students. | “They were a great morale lifter | for the men,” Withers explained. | “We had a billboard put up on the _ ship, first a small one on which we posted the letters. Then we re- ceived so many letters we had to put up a larger board. In three to four months we received 10 to 15 thousand pounds of mail.” He explained that the U.S.S. O’Brien left San Diego, California on regular maneuvers before | Saddam Hussein ever invaded Kuwait, going first to Pearl Harbor | and from there to the Philippines. “We never got to the Philippines because orders came through to go to the Persian Gulf. Our ship | was in the Gulf as part of the | embargo against Iraq. We chal- lenged nearly 400 ships while we were there. If merchant ships ap- | peared suspicious we would | See SAILOR, pg 5
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers