4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 4, 1996 hE EDITORIALS Your generosity will alleviate hunger Congratulations, you did it! Only a week after an article about the slim stock at the Back Mountain Food Bank this holiday season, readers responded with enough generosity to fill the storage area to the brim, and more. The food bank is an entirely local affair, stocked by and available to people in the Back Mountain as an emergency {ood source. But, like all institutions, the food bank can be taken for granted, and that appeared to be happening this year. When Post writer Jack Hilsher and photographer Charlotte Bartizek visited a couple of weeks ago, the shelves were mostly bare. “Our nearly empty shelves could easily compete with Mother Hubbard's cupboard,” remarked Rev. Charles Naugle, whose Trucksville United Methodist Church administers the [acility. Little did they — or we — know how fast and wide would be the response to the food bank's plight. Leading the charge were the students at Dallas High School. A parent called the school Monday morning, Nov. 25 to ask what the school was doing to help the food bank this year. An announcement went out over the intercom, and student lead- ers sprang into action. Spurred by the student council's offer to serve breakfast to each top donating class, by Wednesday the school was bringing a truckload of food and $855 to the food bank. That, combined with other donations including 200 pounds of food dropped off at the office of The Dallas Post, quickly filled the shelves to overflowing. And just in time, too. Rev. Naugle reports that a Back Mountain man who owns a business elsewhere called to ask how he could see that needy families had a decent Thanksgiving dinner. That's not the food bank's normal function; il serves as an emergency food source year round. But the church helped identify 50 families who each received a turkey and all the trimmings, packaged by food bank volunteers, in time for the holiday. But there's more. When word got around to other families that their holiday might be a little brighter, the food bank was able to respond and supply them with a nutritious meal as well. We want to extend thanks to all the people who helped out when the need was great. And we would urge anyone who could have assisted this cause but didn’t to look for other opportu- nities to show the spirit of neighborliness demonstrated by those who took the lead this time, in the holiday season and all year long. We thinks DEP doth protest too much a letter to the editor, the state Department of Environmen- tal Protection objects strenuously to the Post's contention that thedepartment was overly cautious in handling a mercury spill at Dallas High School, to the point of doing more harm than good by closing the school for more than a week. In the letter, Mark Carmon, the agency's Community Relations Coordina- tor, defends the use of a strict standard for mercury vapor in the air, on the basis that young students (and teachers) might have been exposed to harmful levels of the substance for six or seven hours per day. That could be true if they all stayed in the most allected rooms all day long, at least in the first day or (wo alter the spill. But that doesn’t happen, and even if il did, existing federal recommendations for exposure are for some- one who works in a mercury-contaminated environment eight hours a day, every day, for years. ' We don't want to suggest caution should have been thrown to the wind. Many people had their children tested for mercury poisoning, just to be sale, and they aren’t to be condemned for being careful parents. (It should be noted that no one showed any evidence of harmful levels ol the substance.) But we have yet to speak to a single knowledgeable person who thinks DEP and other agencies acted reasonably in their response to the spill. Closing the school for a day or two until all areas could be surveyed would have been sensible; having men walking around in moon suits for a week was not. + The most obvious lesson taught by this exercise seems to have been picked up by students at other schools. They learned that if they want to get off school for a few days, all they need do is spill a little mercury in the hallway, and wait for the reaction. Maybe they have something to teach their elders. AA Yr £4 $ ¥ - ¥ Publisher's notebook | . I can't help comparing the hysteria over mercury to the sci- fi movie spool, “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” Maybe we could make one titled "Assault of the Murderous Mercury.” In the latest overreaction to spills of this relatively harmless sub- stance, schools have been removing potentially dangerous material from science labs. As one student remarked, “How are we supposed to learn without the materials we need?” The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Dennise Casterline ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Paul Rismiller PRODUCTION MANAGER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING “Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER wEMBLR 4d NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Pus Dn ASSOCIATION PRINTED WITH SOY INK|_ LETTERS DEP defends hi oh standards on mercury Editor: It's hard to decide where to start with objections to your No- vember 20th editorial. The only thing that was correct was the list of agencies involved. The state Department of Health ATSDR and CDC established a safe level for exposure to mercury vapors based on the eight-hour OSHA standard for adult worker exposure. The level was lowered from 5 parts per billion (ppb) to 3 ppb to reflect the students’ age and heightened vulnerability. The threat of exposure was very real, especially’because students, staffand faculty spend six or seven hours a day, [ive days a week in the school. More than 50 sepa- rate locations over the 3 ppb limit were identified by the numerous vapor meter scans throughout the high school. Exposure to mercury vapor can cause short and long term health problems. That's why the agen- cies involved tested and re-tested. There was nothing extreme in the {esting protocols and precautions. EPA, ATSDR and CDC have used the method and levels success- fully in similar cases in Kansas and Florida. We recognized that school ac- tivities would be disrupted, but we would have been negligent if we had not followed all of the procedures recommended by fed- eral and state health agencies to handle the situation. Mark R. Carmon Community Relations Coordinator Northeast Regional Office Hunting at Francis Slocum deemed cruel Editor: The proposed deer slaughter at Frances Slocum State Park on December 16 and 17 should be stopped. The park's deer are fa- miliar with humans and overall unwary. This “hunt” was sched- uled last year, but canceled due to public outcry. Manually operated sho guns or muzzle loading firearms are cruel and primitive hunting methods which should be banned. Be- cause of the lengthy time it takes to reload there is a high incidence of crippling (50%) and if the ani- mal is fatally wounded, it may linger 60 to 70 minutes. Killing deer to protect certain vegetation does not stop the sur- viving deer {rom eating the same LIBRARY By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The Back Mountain Memorial Library is featuring another col- lage of library photographs in the reference room of the library. This group of photos relates to the volunteers and events of the library through the years. Volun- teers have been the backbone of the library since the inception in 1945. From the beginning, citizens of the Back Mountain community have given of their time and tal- ents for the library's benefit. Different events held over the years include an Oktoberfestand farmer's market, a biathlon race, horse shows, luncheons, cook- plants. A better idea would be to charge a minimal admission fee to replenish brush and greenery, as used in New York State. The deer contraceptive dart “porzine zona pellucida” is a vi- able option. When injected into the female deer it stops reproduc- tion for one to two years. It is being used in Washington, D.C. and the state of New York with a 95% success rate. Relocation is another alternative. In truth, hunters and wildlife agencies are not concerned with reducing deer herds, but only in- creasing and maintaining the number of targets and potential hunting license dollars. Did you know that propagators are hired and paid by the Game Commis- sion to breed, raise and release white tail deer in Pennsylvania's woods. Hunters have written nu- merous letters lo local newspa- pers for years complaining “there's not enough game”. If you agree that deer are crea- tures - not crops, please call Jus- tice for Animals via help line 829- 1341 or you can make your oppo- sition known by calling the De- partment of Conservation and Natural Resources at 472-3011, The Game Commission at 675- 1143 and the Park Office at 696- 3525. : Melinda Dugan Justice for Animals Shavertown Collage honors volunteers book sales and, of course, the library auction which has been held each summer since 1947. There is a picture of the 1975 Board of Directors which includes: Granville Miller, Homer Moyer, Alice Howell, Craig Aicher, Patricia Broida, Ralph Lewis, Florence Crump, Howard Strom, Kerry Freeman Robert Miller, Nancy Eckert, Glenn Eyet, Ruth Schooley, Merton Jones, Lester Jordan and Dorothea McCutcheon. Members of the 1952 Auction committee, Melania Hellersperk, Joane Dettmore, Jennie Hill, Rachel Van Horn; 1959 committee includes Nancy Bessmer, Pauline Roth, Marge Brown, Clair Owens, and Marge Culp. In 1984, the board purchased the Dallas Borough School build- ing and raised $300,000 to reno- vate the facility for the new li- brary. Pictured are Homer Moyer, Ernie Ashbridge, board president; Nancy Eckert, and Polly Wielage, who presented a memorial gift to the library. The Friends of the Library was organized in 1948 and in 1988, held their first luncheon. Mem- bers of the 1990 luncheon com- mittee are pictured: Beth Gager, Liz Lloyd, Nancy Kozemchak, Shirley Forney and Pauline Kutz. In 1993, Ellen Casey, wife of the governor, visited the library in celebration of the library's cook- book, “Chefs and Artists". The cookbook raised over $3,000 for the library. Pictured is Carol King, Susan Frey, Ellen Casey, Florence Crump, the first children’s library; and Nancy Kozemchak. The Book Club of the library mel on Mon. Nov. 18 with Mary Lou Swingle presiding. The an- nual Book Club Christmas Tea will be held on Mon., Dec. 16 at 1:30 p.m. in the community room. Christmas music, stories and po- ems will be prepared for the pro- gram. Guests are welcome to attend. : seven years, thieves stole $1,500 0} \N I { YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago-Dec. 11,1936 | HIGH SCHOOLS CONSIDER} | DROPPING GOOTBALL ~~ ~~ Officially noting recent sugges- : i tions that local high schools drop football and substitute soccer, as the Fall sport, Dallas Borough _ | School officials this week were, seriously considering promoting the new sport here next year. The in suggestion came originally from sports fans who resent the humble position of local scholastic elev- ens when contrasted to the fast ih and impressive fast ball played in ‘and v 9 Wyoming Valley. The 11-room home of Mr. 2 Mrs. William Heath at Harvey: Son between Alderson and Warden , Place was destroyed by flames on Monday morning bringing a loss estimated at $20,000 for the prop- erty and its contents. A valuable police dog which was in the cellar - perished. opine ) v ¥ 50 Years Ago - Dec. 13, 1946 ee DALE DODSON ON BOARD -* ~** ‘g SHIP TO ANTARCTICA 7. Aboard Seaplane Tender Pine Island that left Norfolk, VA a week ago on the Navy's expedition to, . Antarctica is Dale Dodson former Kingston Township High School .. boy, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Dodson of Shavertown. Four. ¢ thousand men all under Rear, . Admiral Richard E. Byrd of previ-... « r) ous polar expedition fame, make, oe up the amphibious expedition. , The Glee Club under dir ection, ; of Robert Henderson will present , a special Christmas program, al. the Dallas Borough PTA in the, high school auditorium. Jack , Morris, soloist at Bennett Presby- terian Church, Wilkes-Barre, wil, 3 be soloist. ak 40 Years Ago - Dec. 7, 1956" ee BURGLARS HIT DALLAS . JEWELRY STORE AGAIN Striking for the second time in worth of diamonds {rom Henry’s:g ¢ Jewelry Store, Main Street, Dalsis: las. Investigating the robbery are; 40 Chief Honeywell and State: Poli. bi They are without clues. Se a lvi Two local boys were at Hickagn: P Field when the Japanese attacks, on Pearl Harbor set the worldror © fire Dec. 7, 1941. Sgt. Lewis Reese... and John Garbutlt, airplane. és chanic, both of Dallas were slightly: wounded with shrapnel. Reegeiis hd now a carrier for Dallas R.R. Land * engines at Amarillo, TX. ¥ A FEET Tl 24 Tu hes Kos “ets 30 Years Ago - Dec. 8, 196¢ jo COMMUNITY LANDFULL ‘+f STUDIED FOR REGION fo rd % % 2 % “¢ rs OOS TR Ry Bg Pe I A TH a TRA who have or enniied into a pret bined body mel Friday at Lontiny Fire Hall to discuss the landfill needed in the area. Representa- tives of State Health Department showed motion pictures of vari- ous successfully operating land: . fills in other communifies’ throughout the Commonwealth and told supervisors that these} could be run economically. “The : group decided to check on pos-® sible sites for a community land- & fill throughout the Back Moun: : tain. The North District of Lake : Township was created a Borough #' this week according to a decision? | handed down by the Luerne: » County Court In Banc headed by: President Judge Frank L. Pinola.; and in agreement with Judges; Bernard Brominski and Jacab £ Schiffman. SER + EN 20 Years Ago - Dec. 9, 1976 BACK MOUNTAIN'S UNEMPLOYMENT AT 14.9% Kingston Township zoning’ board moved that the former Shav-: ertown Elementary School prop: erty is zoned properly for plans? submitied by Burger King at the: zoning board meeting Tuesday evening. The board also gave the: company a temporary go ahead: on a building permit until John: Dana, building inspection who has} been ill can issue a formal permit.: a The last three months census; a share report indicated that 1, 208; TLL PL persons were unemployed in at seven community area of the Back} Mountain for an unemployment; percentage of 14.9 or 4.2 percent: above Luzerne County's 10.7. They high rate of unemployement ing the Back Mountain, however, can-; bod BY 4 not be attributed to local compa-* nies. A survey of some of thes larger companies showed that! OV) their employment rate had been’ steacly with [ew il any layoffs. 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers