‘~h school basketball previews so Vol. 102 No. ! 5 Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 4, 1991 35 Cents ———— PES T Fami 'homeicss ‘after fire A pregnant woman and her two ow sons were burned out of Li{#®r home Monday evening aftera “sthoky fire on Second Street in “Harveys Lake. The fire was discovered at ap- proximately 3:57 p.m., with fire- fighters from the Harveys Lake, Idetown, Kunkle, and Lehman volunteer fire departments re- sponding. ' Assistant Harveys Lake Fire Chief Larry West said that an offi- cial cause of the fire has not been determined. Evelyn Leidy told Harveys Lake Ptl. Mark Karlonis that she discov- ered the fire in the bedroom, and that she had caught her four-year- old son Vincent playing with a lighter three times that day. Kar- lonis said that the owner of the house is Gerald Cook, who also lives on Second Street. _Leidy escaped unhurt from the hfgse at 350 C Second Street, alsng with Vincent and her other son, Danny, age 5. Leidy was taken to Nesbitt Memorial Hospital by Dallas Ambulance and treated and re- leased. disaster services for the American Red Cross, Wyoming Valley Chap- frignds Monday night. ie Red Cross can provide fire vicams with shelter, food, cloth- ing, personal items and assistance with rent. West said that firefighters ttled the blaze for more than 3 hours before it was extinguished, damaged by the flames. Dorothy Pechulis, director of ter, said that Leidy stayed with and that the home was badly WHERE THERE'S SMOKE - Smoke pours from the roof of a home on Second Street in Harveys Lake. Firefighters battled the persistent blaze for more than three hours. (Post Photo/Eric Foster) By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff oc objections from Jackson Township Police Chief Donald J. Jones and his attorney thatJones’s civil rights and right to due proc- ess had been denied, the Jackson ¢ | Township Supervisors eliminated the part-time position of police chief which Jones has held for the past 18 years. Jones had worked the job under verbal contract since January, 1974. It was replaced with a full-time position at the December 2 meeting of the super- visors. A summary of the job descrip- tion presented to Jones indicated that the salary would be $19,200 per year, with three weeks vaca- tion, seven paid legal holidays, five days sick leave per year and a work schedule of 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Monday through Friday. The po- lice chief would be responsible for all normal chief's duties, as well as patrolling the township and re- sponding to calls. The supervisors had sent a let: ter to Jones containing the job description on November 19, 1991. It required Jones to reply with his decision to either accept or reject the offer by November 27, 1991. Chief Jones’ attorney, Peter J. Savage, stated to the supervisors in a letter dated November 26, 1991 that the manner in which the position was created violated the Jackson chief bucks job change Commonwealth's “Sunshine Law.” Attorney Savage stated that the position, hours, wages, terms and conditions of employment were created behind closed doors, with- out public notice. Savage also said in the letter that the supervisors presented an ultimatum, to either accept or re- ject the new full-time position, to Jones at another closed session on November 19, 1991 at the munici- pal building. Neither the decision to change the position of police chief from part-time to full-time nor the decision as to the terms and conditions of employment were discussed at a public meeting, See CHIEF, pg 3 DONALD JONES Program offers help for troubled students By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff According to surveys of young people, more than 62% of al’ sev- enth graders and 80% of eighth graders in the United States use ests? hyperactivity or eating patterns? night? cabinet? ——— } | How can I tell if my child is using drugs or alcohol? These questions were prepared by Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services for families to use as a guideline. 1.'Do your child’s moods seem to be suddenly changing? 2.'ls your child radically changing friends, dress style or inter- 3. Is your child becoming less responsible? | 4. ls it more difficult to communicate with your child? 5. Is your child beginning to exhibit mental or physical changes, ‘such as disordered thinking, less motivation or unusual fatigue, 6. Does your child fight often with other family members, come home intoxicated, act unusually secretive or stay out late or all 7. Have you found rolling papers, other drug paraphenalia or alcohol around the house? Is liquor missing from the liquor 8. Does your child steal from family members, lie chronically, shopiift, cause trouble in school or drive while intoxicated? 9, Has your child attempted suicide? alcohol. In addition, one of every three students comes from a fam- ily with an alcohol problem and 25% of the American student population under 18 has used marijuana. In Pennsylvania, 20% of all students come from single-parent families, which are more likely to be living in poverty. And in the 15- 24 year-old age group, the second leading cause of death is suicide. Although these figures are aver- ages, even rural areas cannot es- cape these problems, according to Pam McDonald of Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services. To counteract these problems, teachers from Lake-Lehman Jun- ior High School have developed the CARE program, designed to help “at risk” students, those with drug or alcohol problems, who are de- pressed or who have family prob- lems. CARE doesn't stand for anything; it simply shows students that their teachers care about them. Junior High School Principal Robert O. Roberts, guidance coun- selor Robert N. Rogers, home eco- nomics teacher Barbara Lockman, social studies teacher Thomas Williams and science teacher Paul Reinert spent five days of intensive training at Luzerne County Com- munity College, preparing for their roles as the CARE team at the school. Pam McDonald of Wyo- ming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services has been assisting the team. “More than 400 school districts in Pennsylvania have developed similar student assistance pro- grams,” explained Roberts, adding that part of the training involved sensitization to the scope of the problems faced by students. Each school team designs the program that will best meet its students’ needs. CARE is not a counseling serv- ice; it is a referral program only. If a student exhibits behavior prob- lems, appears to be depressed, misses many classes or school days or shows some type of abrupt personality change, the CARE team checks to see if there is something wrong. “All information is strictly confi- dential,” Rogers said. “The CARE team’s reports do not even show up on the students’ permanent records.” He added that students may approach the CARE team themselves for help. If the CARE team finds in its assessment that a problem indeed exists, the student and his parents join them for a conference. “We do not judge or accuse,” Ms. Lock- man said. “This conference is nota trial, a debate or a confrontation. See STUDENTS, pg 2 Two Dallas residents hamed in bank scam By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff Diana L. Olsen and Kit C. Karuza, both of 2568 Lower De- munds Road, Dallas, were indicted November 26 by a federal grand jury for bank fraud, according to James J. West, United States At- torney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Karuzais a social studies teacher in the Dallas School District, while Olsen had been employed by First Eastern Bank. "The indictment charges that the defendants executed a check Kkit- ing scheme between accounts at the Franklin First Federal Savings Bank and First Eastern Bank in Wilkes-Barre between November 1990 and October 1991. On re- peated occasions, worthless checks would be deposited in an account and the funds withdrawn for use before the check would be cleared. The Franklin First Federal Sav- ings Bank lost $15,726.41 as a result of the scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Dallas School District Superin- tendent Gerald Wycallis said that on the advice of solicitor Benjamin Jones, Karuza will continue to teach and coach basketball at the school because he has not been convicted. “He's innocent until proven guilty,” said Wycallis. First Eastern would not com- ment on Olsen. If convicted, Olsen and Karuza could face up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $1 million. The case was investigated by the Scranton Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler has been assigned to the case for prose- cution. : Brandler said that he expects arraignment will be scheduled in the next several weeks. 'Cap' Walters had front-row seat for Pearl Harbor strike ‘By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff December 7, 1941 brings back vivid memories for millions of Americans. Even those who were thousands of miles away from Hawaii on Pearl Harbor Day will never forget hearing the news that U.S. naval forces had been hit by a surprise bombing attack. But for Dallas resident Quentin “Cap” Walters, the recollections are par- ticularly striking. Walters recently recalled his experiences as a radio operator aboard the cruiser USS Raleigh, one of the first ships hit in the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. From his battle station in the radio shack, Walters saw the first kamikaze hit the Curtis and watched Japanese planes strafe the Utah, moored directly behind the Raleigh. “It was like a panorama. Burst- ing shells, Japanese planes and thick smoke filled the sky. Amid the wrecks of planes and ships in the water, sailors tried to swim through the oil on the water to shore. Looking across Ford Island to Battleship Row, I saw a Japa- nese plane drop a bomb down one of the stacks of the Arizona; she - went up like a Roman candle. All of Calenddr.............. 14 Classified........ 12-13 Editonals................ 4 Obituaries............ 1] Police report.......... 2 Property transfers..2 School. .............. 10 SPORS.........00 0 9 RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE - Mon., Dec. 9, 11 AM-5 PM, Dallas United Methodist Church. Call 823-7161 for reservations. Community Events HOLIDAY ART AND CRAFT SALE - Through Dec. 8, McDonald Art Gallery, College Misericordia. Tues.-Fri. Noon-5 PM, Sat., Sun. 1-5 PM. ART BY ANDREW JOHNSON- Through Dec. 13, United Penn Bank building, Dallas. CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING QUENTIN 'CAP' WALTERS Battleship Row was a mass of smoke and flames.” Walters had been relaxing in his bunk after having pulled the night watch, when he heard a loud bang and felt the ship lurch. Thinking that another ship had simply bumped the Raleigh, he didn’t pay much attention to it. A few sec- onds later he heard more explo- sions and a call to general quar- See PEARL HARBOR, pg 14 Ashbridge will lead Dallas board The Dallas School Board in- stalled a freshman member and elected officers at its reorganiza- tion meeting Monday, December 2. Luzerne County Judge Hugh Mundy swore in Richard Coslett, anew member to the board, as well as re-elected incumbents Ellen Nagy, Clarence Michael, John George, and Ernest Ashbridge. Coslett, a dentist, lives in Shav- ertown with his wife Carol and daughter Chelsea. Ashbridge was elected president of the board, and Thomas Landon elected vice president. Ashbridge will also be the board's representa- tive to the West Side Vocational Techinical School. “My one regret is that Mr. Litz is not here,” said Ashbridge of John Litz, the former board president who was not re-elected. The board voted to keep the regular meeting time the second Monday of the month at 8 p.m. The meeting on December 9 will be held at the Middle School to accommodate the number of people expected to attend.
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