FERRE he Lehman students .: tended the District 9 Orchestra Festival. Page 10. Daffodil Days Are just around the |®rner. Page 3. ‘ J Judy Fitch /' crowned Miss Wilkes- Barre/Scranton. Next stop — Miss Pennsylva- nia pageant. Page 3. Dallas Junior Football vii hod registration for the new season Saturday, March 7. Page 10. " { Red Cross Blood Drives Wed., March 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Penn State Wilkes-Barre. ‘Wed., March 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lake-Lehman Hligh School. Call 823-7161 [or ap- pointments. JCalendar.............. 13 Classified........ 15-16 Editorials................ 4 Obituaries........... 14 ‘Police report..........2 Property transfers..2 School............. 10-11 PPOs. .....cc00m0s 9-10 a ih ¥ SLE Dallas, PA Wednesday, March 4, 1992 Py x 35 Cents Taxpayers, teachers spar at meeting By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff They didn't quite kiss and make up. But the two sides in the contro- versy over salary negotiations for the Dallas School District teachers did behave more amicably at the school board's March 2 meeting than they had at the previous month's meeting. At the February 10 meeling, about 1,100 people packed into the Middle School Auditorium to show their concern over the con- tract negotiations, which have been ongoing since the end of 1990. That meeting was punctuated by loud applause, cheering, occa- sional booing, with speakers often being interrupted. About 200 people attended the March 2 meeting, and attended it rather quietly. ; At the latest meeting, former school board president John Lilz said the behavior at the last meet- ing was “damn near a lynch mob." Litz pointed out that all those concerned with the negotiations were lucky for several reasons. “You have a good board, a good staff, and a dedicated community,” said Litz. “I think we are lucky we have the stafl that we do. This faculty has worked long past Au- gust 31." The teachers contract expired August 31, 1991. Litz pointed out that in some other district's the teachers went on strike soon after the contract ex- pired. And in contrast to some other school boards which settled con- tracts in only a few weeks that were not in the taxpayers best interest, Lilz said that this board has held firm in negotiations for over a year. “It's a credit to the taxpayer,” said Litz. “I's one of the most active taxpayers’ groups.” Joseph Kunec, president of the Dallas Taxpayers Forum contin- See TEACHERS, pg 8 By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff and sixth grades. THE WINNING TECHNIQUE- Girls’ Division I Erica Fugate demonstrate their holds at Lake-Noxen School's arm wrestling tournament. Additional photo on page 14. (Post photo/Grace R. Dove) Putting some muscle into it Lake-Noxen picks arm wrestling champs . More than 85 students at Lake-Noxen Elemen- tary School recently participated in the school’s 10th annual arm wrestling tournament, featuring three divisions for girls and four for boys in fifth “We run the competition in late February,” explained gym teacher Dwight Barbacci. “But the kids have been preparing for it and asking me about it since September. It's very popular.” Sixth graders Mandy Kehler and Erica Fugate demonstrated their winning techniques, main- taining the correct arm position and concentrat- ing on their grip, while Brian Smigielski and Eddie Engleman glared at each other as aggressively as Hulk Hogan confronting Andre the Giant. School winners in the girls’ competition in- cluded Amy Grabner, fifth grade, Division I; Erica Fugate, sixth grade, Division I and Mandy Kehler, sixth grade, Division II. Boys'division winners included George Nichols, sixth grade, flyweight; Howard Long, sixth grade, lightweight; Eddie Engleman, fifth grade, middle- weight and Brian Smigielski, sixth grade, heavy- weight. andy Kehler and Division Il champion Barbacci observed a similar tournament ten years ago while student teaching at Muncy Ele- mentary School and brought it to Lake-Noxen. He says that it is very sale and a good outlet for the kids’ energy. And the seven winners were very proud to take home a winning trophy. HL Water Company to drill new well By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff After years of low water pres- sure, and worrying about the quality of their water, the Harveys Lake Water Company's 58 cus- tomers may have water from a new well soon, and better service along with it. Michael Coyle, manager of the company said a one-acre lot has been purchased along Carpenter Road from the Ruckno family for $18,000 to drill a well on. Coyle also manages the Noxen, Dallas, and Shavertown water companies, which were purchased by General Waterworks in May of1990. The Harveys Lake Water Com- pany's problems in providing good service spring from the location of its present well — in the traffic island where Route 415 meets Harveys Lake. The company does not own the land the well is located on, and can't make any large improvements to it, such as adding a storage tank. The well is also considered to be under the influence of Har- veys Lake by the Department of Environmental Resources, and so See WATER, pg 2 By ERIC FOSTER Post Staff instituted. Taxpayer group: Don't pay Are they revolutionaries or anarchists? Probably neither. The Dallas Taxpayers Forum has circulated a flyer calling on residents of the Dallas School District to withhold their taxes unless a two-year teacher salary freeze and merit pay program is But in reality, the group has a much more flexible position. The flyer, of which about 1,000 have been circulated, doesn't make any bones about the freeze and merit pay program. But Joe Kunec, president of the Forum, quoting a newspaper editorial that said a 3% raise was reasonable, said the Taxpayers Forum could probably accept a raise like that. The teachers last See TAXPAYERS, pg 8 Teacher guilty In bank scam is fired By ERIC FOSTER Post Staft Dallas High School social stud- ies teacher Kit Karuza was sus- pended for “immorality” by the Dallas Board of School Directors at its meeting Monday, March 2. The board voted unanimously to suspend Karuza. Karuza and DianaL. Olsen, both of 2568 Lower Demunds Road, Dallas, pled guilly to bank lar- cency in federal court on February 21, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler. Karuza and Qlsen were charged with runninga check kiting scheme between accounts at the Franklin First Federal Savings Bank and First Eastern Bank in Wilkes-Barre between November, 1990 and October 1991. On repeated occa- sions, worthless checks would be deposited in an account and the funds withdrawn for use before the check could be cleared. Olsen had been employed by First East- ern Bank. 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. The pair were indicted Novem- ber 26, 1991 by a federal grand jury lor bank fraud, according to James J. West, United States At- torney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. After the indictment, Karuza continued toteach atthe district on the advice of solicitor Benjamin Jones on the principle See FIRED, pg 2 Jackson soil cleanup could cost $200,000 By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff After having excavated twice as many oil tanks as had been ex- pected from the front of the new Jackson Township municipal building, Jackson Township super- visors unearthed another unpleas- ant surprise-nearly twice the ex- pected amount of contaminated soil. That discovery could add as much as $200,000 to the cost of cleaning up the area. When the township contracted with R. N. Fitch and Sons to re- move two 2,000-gallon and one 1,000-gallon oil tanks, they in- stead found four 4,000 gallon and two 1,000 tanks. And after Fitch removed approxi- mately 569 tons of gasoline-tainted soil from the site, an additional 600-700 tons of contaminated soil were discovered. “Removing the soil alone will cost us $84 per ton,” said supervi- sor Joseph Stager. “But alter [ig- uring in the costs of the hydrologi- cal study, removing the tanks, excavation, obtaining permits and other work, the estimated cost of the cleanup could run between $200,000 and $230,000." Stager said that the contami- nated soil will be shipped by truck to Pittsburgh, then by barge to See CLEANUP, pg 2 GOING FOR GOLD - Senior Girl Scout Kelly Freeman of Dallas Township is working to earn the Gold Award, Girl Scouting’s highest award. (Post photo/Grace R. Dove) Kelly Freeman goes for Girl Scout Gold By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff After 11 years in Girl Scouts, Kelly Freeman of Dallas will soon realize a dream — achieving the Gold Award, Girl Scouting'’s high- est honor. During her scouting career, Kelly has earned more than 35 badges, many patches, two leadership torches and the Silver Award. She also has volunteered many hours in the concession stand at the Lehman Horse Show, at the Back Mountain Memorial Library, and as a candy striper at the Meadows Nursing Home. Kelly has also helped at Girl Scout inter-neighborhood events, assisted other troops with badge work and served as a ‘counselor and chairman at a day camp. But the 18-year-old Dallas High School senior’s greatest challenge has not come through scouting. “I am learning disabled,” Kelly explained. “That's the main rea- son that 1 decided to try for the Gold Award; to show my commu- nity that I am capable of achieving something important, of working in a position of responsibility in spite of my learning disability.” Equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scoutaward, the Gold Award has a strict set of requirements. When Kelly first decided to at- tempt it, one of the Gold Award's prerequisites was achievement of the Silver Award, which she earned. But the Gold Award rules were recently changed and the Silver Award is no longer required. Kelly's Silver Award work in- cluded earning three special-inter- est badges and a career explorer pin, working 20 hours as a volun- teer and completing a challenge and a written self-evaluation. For the Gold Award, Kelly had to earn four additional patches, another career exploration pin and the Senior Leadership Award, complete a challenge and-do a project. Penn's Woods Girl Scout Council interviews each Gold Award candidate and approves her project before she can begin. Kelly's career exploration pin: required reading in the Girl Scout Handbook, writing a resume and choosing one of five options: to plan a career fair, plan a speaking project, work for an employer as an intern, get a paying job or start See GIRL SCOUT, pg 2
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers