ae Vol. 102 No. 47 Hunters get ready for season 11 *races of Thanksgiving Pilgrims and Indians from two kindergarten classes and the eighth grade at Gate of Heaven School performed some Thanksgiving rituals November 21. Above, left,Sara Melzer and Erin Thompson were Pilgrim girls, while, right, Meighan Garvey played the part of an Indian. (Post photos/Charlotte Bartizek) To ER Pair saved by donated labor to fix water runoff By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff The Luzerne County Fair will not face bankruptcy because of work required to meet soil conser- vation regulations, according to Ed Kelly, president of the Fair Association. “The bottom line is that Fitch and Sons have been good enough to do the work and wait to be paid when the grants come in,” said Illy. Pasonick Engineering do- 1¥®ed the time to design the ero- sion control plan, he said. The fair faces soil conservation violations because the parking lot was leveled and an extra entrance was constructed for the livestock without erosion control measures being taken. Ironically, this year's fair set an attendance record with 50,000 people crowding through the gates from September 4 to 8, toppling the old record of 30,000. The fair has already spent $10,000 on the required erosion control work, which included con- Pantry. (Post photo/Grace R. Dove) structing swales - conduits to carry away runoff water to prevent soil erosion. Kelly said that work was stopped because the fair only has $6,000 in the bank, and there was another $30,000 to $40,000 worth of work to be done. Now the work will begin againin an effort to meeta Decem- ber 1 deadline set by the Depart- ment of Environmental Resources at a meeting with representatives of county, state and federal gov- ernment with fair representatives on November 15. | PACKING IT U? - George Gaylord and Walter Meade pack a food box for the Back Mountain Food The grants Kelly is hoping the fair will receive are from the state Fair Association to reimburse the fair for constructing the Red Ambrose Building, which cost $65,000; putting concrete floors in the two other exhibitors build- ings, which cost $10,000; and leveling the parking lot area. Kelly said that the fair will know whether the grants will be awarded in January. In January the fair is also to be reimbursed for $24,000 See FAIR, pg 15 35 Cents Dallas teachers, board return to bargaining table By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff A Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board Fact Finder called in by the Dallas School District to help re- solve labor negotiations between the district and its teachers may not be issuing a report in the near future, if at all. The reason? “At this point the parties have engaged in further negotiations,” said Attorney Jim Crawford, coun- sel for the Labor Relations Board. “The goal here is to get the impasse resolved,” said Crawford. “As virtually always happens, it takes longer than it should.” Crawford said that the Labor Relations Board prefers to have the parties reach an agreement themselves whenever possible, which is why a date has not been set for issuing the report. “We've seen too many reports be rejected because the dispute was not ready to be settled,” said Crawford. The school district requested a fact-finder at the end of September to help settle the negotiations with the teachers. Earlier reports have said that the teachers were asking for a five- year contract with wage increases averaging nearly 10 percent yearly, while the district had offered a two-year contract with average raise of $2,000 a year, or five per- cent. Fact finders gather information such as wage trends in the area, average community income, changes in the tax base and the cost of housing. The school district is also compared to nearby dis- tricts and others with similar demographics. Normally the fact-finding proc- ess takes 40 days from the Labor Relations. Board order, during which time the union is barred from striking. Once a fact-finder issues areport, the parties have 10 days in which to accept or reject the report. Police, residents say barriers on Route 309 could prevent accidents By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff What is the best way to prevent accidents on Route 309 like the one which hospitalized two drivers November 19? “No lefts,” says Kingston Town- ship Ptl. Michael Moravec. That would be the most inex- pensive way, Moravec says. The more expensive way would be to put up a barrier between the north and southbound lanes. The November 19th accident happened justasadriverwas trying to turn left. Ella E. Newberry, 74, of Main Street, Dallas, was exiting the Texaco service station along the southbound lanes of Route 309 at about 1:43 p.m. and attempting to turn left onto the northbound lanes. She made it halfway across before her 1979 Cadillac Sedan DeVille was struck by a south- bound 1987 Toyota pickup truck driven by John Duris IV, 20, of RD5 Tunkhannock. Newberry's car continued across the northbound lanes where it Food banks gear up for the holidays By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff During the past several weeks you've probably noticed the “Feed aFriend” bins and canisters placed by the check-out lines at Back Mountain supermarkets. If you remembered to purchase some- thing or if you had enough spare change for a small donation, you are among the many who have tried to help those whose Thanks- giving meal might otherwise have been a baloney sandwich or a can of cat food. Now in its twelfth year of opera- tion, “Feed a Friend” is one of several projects which help to provide a Thanksgiving meal for needy area families. Sponsored by WNEP-TV and Pepsi Corp., “Feed a Friend" is one of several food distribution proj- ects which depend on individual and group contributions to help meet their needs. The Back Moun- tain Food Pantry, Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO), and the St. Vincent DePaul Kitchen also welcome donations from school groups, Scout troops, area service organizations and individu- als. Although we tend to think of these services only during the holidays, they are increasingly needed all year round. “Although times are difficult for many people, donations have been increasing as we get closer to Thanksgiving,” commented Jackie Ackulonis of WNEP. Cash dona- tions are used to purchase perish- able items to round out the food baskets, which are delivered the week of Thanksgiving. Families are referred to “Feed a Friend” through CEO, Catholic Social Services and other area service agencies. Administered by the Trucksville United Methodist Church, the Back Mountain Food Pantry serves the needs of many area families. CEO screens the applications for aid; emergency food supplies are also available throughout the year. According to church secretary Cathy Barlow, the Food Pantry See FOOD BANK, pg 6 stopped with half the car on the berm and half on the highway. Duris's truck flipped onto its side. Rescue workers from Dallas, Kingston Township, and Kingston Borough had to cut the roofs from both vehicles to get the drivers out. Duris was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital where he was later released. Newberry was flown by helicopter to Scranton Commu- nity Medical Center where she was listed in guarded but stable condi- tion Monday. By November 24, at least an- other three accidents where re- ported on Route 309, though none of them was serious. Not only police feel that barri- ers, or restrictions on left turns will help cut down on accidents. “Do away with left hand turns,” said Ron Woolbert, a Rave's Gar- den Center employee. “I hold my breath when people pull out to make a left because nobody slows down.” Woolbert felt that other things that would help the traffic would See ROUTE 309, pg 18 lh i Calendar.............. 14 Classified........ 16-17 Editorials................ 4 Obituaries............ 15 Police report.......... 2 Property transfers15 School...........a0x 12 SDOHS..........0000 00 11 RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE - Fri., Nov. 29, 12 Noon-6PM, Gate of Heaven Gym, Machell Ave., Dallas. Call 823-7161 for reservations. Community Events SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY - Tues., Wed., Nov. 26-27, 7:30 PM. Dallas High School. $2.00. THE NUTCRACKER - Fri., Nov. 29, 2 and 8 PM, Kirby Center. Tickets $16 and $12, $4 discount for children 12 and under.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers