ro = 24 The Dallas Post Tuesday, December 31, 1996 Lo RR Dallas, PA 7 | EDITORIALS oy ~ As we have done in the past, we'll stick our necks out with - some hopeful headlines we'd dearly love to write in 1997: ‘Commission forces sale -of National Utilities .. The state Public Utilities Commission has mandated that . National Utilities, the water company customers say doesn’t deserve to stay in business, be sold to a utility with a better rack record. School board changes vote, school will stay put ~ A majority of the members of the Dallas School Board has rdoted to place a replacement for Westmoreland School on the land the school now occupies, reversing an earlier action to put °n on fields used by Back Mountain Baseball. N ew beach will offer lake access to all A newly-developed public area at Harveys Lake will make a dn at the beach possible for anyone who can get to it. Until now, only a tiny portion of the state-owned lake was accessible to the general public. Land owners donate rights of way to trail ., Ina show oflocal philanthropy, owners of property traversed by the former Lehigh Railroad line have donated rights of way to be used for a hiking/biking trail that will stretch from Luzerne to Dushore. Winter comes in and goes out like lamb ~ Unlike two of the previous three years, the winter ended as began, with cool temperatures, but little snow. (We tried this he last year, and it backfired. If we're wrong again, we'll give atl +0 = Office/commercial park ready to break ground Building on the success of established businesses such as ENCON and Offset Paperback, a new office/commercial park will be built in the Back Mountain. Hundreds of good-paying jobs are expected to result. Schools buck trend, scores up, troubles down * ' Going against the national tide, both the Dallas and Lake- Lehman school districts have posted impressive gains in ‘academic performance, while problems of violence and other “bad behavior have declined. . And now, for careful readers, a scorecard on last year's ine headlines. Believe it or not, the most accurate fore- casted that PennDOT would finish work on new traffic signals by June. They were close. 4. We suggested that National Utilities would improve service. Alas, nothing of the sort has occurred, but at least the PUC is “paying attention and has denied them a quick and easy rate “increase. ' The library children's room wasn't completed as we envi- ‘'sioned, but the fund drive is in pretty good shape, and we hope to see ground broken in 1997. ~ The office/commercial park is a carryover from last year. It may be wishful thinking, but we would strongly support an effort to build that type of facility, as long as it's done in a way that doesn't destroy the Back Mountain's natural charms. ': That's all for this year folks. We hope you have a happy and “prosperous 1997, and that your personal headlines match “your hopes and dreams. Hometown news *« Hometown product . The Dallas Post B 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 Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Dennise Casterline ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Paul Rismiller PRODUCTION MANAGER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING > “Jill Gruver ? OFFICE MANAGER 2) PRINTED WITH NINL& PENNSYLVANIA SOY INK] NATIONAL NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER \ POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK THANKS Kiwanians brightened holiday at Meadows Editor's Note: The author re- quested that this letter be pub- lished so that readers could be informed of its content. Kiwanis Friends: We express our heartfelt thanks to your community spirited group who has done so much for the Meadows and our residents this past year. To drive onto the grounds of the Center at night and look at that beautiful lit tree is a sight to behold - we thank you! Your generous donation to our “Giving Tree” so that our residents could have special gifts they need - we thank you! A walk throughout our center displays many deco- rated trees - we thank you for assembling those trees and help- ing with the decoration! Several months ago when our Auxiliary needed help with parking for their annual “Market on the Pond” fundraiser for our residents, you were there - we thank you! Our community is indeed for- tunate to have such a caring and devoted organization to be there to answer the call. Marilyn Gregorski Meadows Volunteer Director Westmoreland parent appreciates hometown paper Editor, After two years of being public- ity chairperson for Westmoreland Elementary School, I've come to appreciate what true community newspaper is all about. Westmoreland and your paper are very similar. They are not the A Case for conservation Alene N. Case When I set out to sample the world, I take along bottles, meters, chemicals, and measuring de- vices. When Robert Hass sets out to sample the world, he takes only his senses and a keen mind. When I interpret the world for others, I use charts and graphs and scien- tific terms. When Robert Hass interprets the world for others, he uses poetry. Robert Hass is the Poet Laure- ate of the United States, following the tradition of those who held the ' post previously such as Robert * Frost, Robert Penn Warren and Rita Dove. He is a native Califor- nian in his mid-fifties. His poetry has always reflected his relation- ship to the landscape of northern California. As Poet Laureate, Hass has taken it upon himself to en- courage nature writing among people of all ages. One of his most exciting ideas is the River of Words - a poetry and art contest for children from kindergarten through high school. As he says, "We need both a living knowledge of the land and a live imagination of it and our place in it, if we are going to preserve it. River of Words hopes to nurture responsible, informed future wa- tershed stewards by encouraging children to learn their ‘ecological address’ and to express through "biggest fish in the pond," but are the best examples of what this community needs to pay more attention to. It's true, Westmoreland events would not be appropriate for na- tional news, but it means the "world" to the students when they see their pictures in the paper. Thank you for building up their self esteem and for making them feel important and newsworthy. I applaud your newspaper and its staff for keeping the "little guy" in mind. Bev Hetro Kingston Township Poets, teachers encourage natural creativity word and image their own ‘place in space’.” The first contest took place in the spring of 1996 and involved students in 41 states. It was sponsored primarily by the Poet Laureate, the Library of Con- gress, the Orion Society, and the International Rivers Network (IRN). A second River of Words Na- tional Environmental Poetry and Art Contest has been announced for this school year. Teacher's Guides and entry forms can be obtained by visiting the IRN website at http: //www.irn.org. The four winners in each category - art and poetry - are treated to trips to Washington DC where they are honored at the Library of Congress. The deadline for 1997 is February 15. Hass emphasizes our connec- tion with the watershed in which we live. Teachers and students spend time getting to know the rivers near their home. They also connect with environmental groups to discuss concerns, spe- cial attributes, and current projects in the local area. They come to an understanding of the links between people and nature, the physical and spiritual, and then attempt to tell the world about these links. The results are truly wonder- ful. One third grader from Wyndmoor PA wrote this line in his poem: “The creek of coldness / shakes your hand / as it turns /blue.” Another student began “The mud shall cover our sins...” A young artist from Florida de- 7 x tea picted a lady standing knee deep in water, bent over at the waist with lips touching the surface and titled it “My Precious Water, I Kiss You.” (All of the winning entries are available on the website listed above.) But, the discrete works ofart or poetry are only a part of the suc- cess of this contest. The project director, Pamela Michael of the International River Network, was immediately struck by an unin- tended outcome. She states it this way: “What the project gener- ated, to our surprise, was a unique and encompassing view of our United States, as seen through the eyes of its children.” Some- how, I doubt if Robert Hass was surprised. This is simply the re- sult of learning one’s “ecological address.” In an interview with the staff of Land and People maga- zine, he elaborates on his hopes for this approach to environmen- tal education: “It could actually make a difference, in that when we talk about community, our children would immediately un- derstand that it has to do with the place they live, how they live there, what they value. Wouldn't it be great if the next few generations of kids understood that part of what they're going to be doing with their lives is helping to create a community and its values? And that natural ecosystems will be a big part of how the community shapes its own future?” I couldn't have said it better myself! My hat goes off to our Poet Laureate and the River of Words! ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Jan. 8, 1937 KINGSTON TWP. SCHOOL | ADDITION WILL COST $28,808 A contract for $28,808 to con- struct an 8-room addition to King- ston Township High School was awarded to W.J. Kear at a meeting - of the board Monday evening. Work on the annex will begin next week with the Works Program Administration assuming labor costs, estimated at $21,273. The WPA grant was approved last Oct. Stanley Davies was elected by Dallas Borough School Board on Wednesday evening to fill the va- cancy caused by the death of Harry §)) Pittman. Mr. Davies is the presi- dent of Royer Foundry Co. Itis his first time to hold public office." 50 Years Ago - Jan. 10, 1947 HUNTSVILLE RD. STORE GETS NEW OWNER Announcement was made on Monday that Harry Lee Smith, Mill St., former Red Cross field director with the 82nd Airborne ¢ Div. has purchased Schmerer's Economy Store on Huntsville Road. Schmerer who has owned the store since 1936 but who has been in ill health for the past several months, plans to retire. He will continue his residence in Dallas. The January Grand Jury will receive for study today a tran- script of the arraignment of Mrs. | Pear] Habblett, Chase, charged with the murder of her husband, William Habblett at their combi- nation store and home on the morning of Jan. 2. Mrs. Habblett was given a hearing at the office of Squire William Roberts of King- ston Wednesday afternoon. = 40 Years Ago - Jan. 4, 1957 ALFRED MOORE, GENIAL. | STORE OWNER, DIES Customers of the Economy Store of East Dallas will miss the proprietor's cheerful presence. Everybody who ever walked into the store recognized Alfred A. Moore as the most even tempered of men, never annoyed by trifles, always willing to chat with a cus- tomer, never in a hurry. Mr. Moore, 53, died at General Hospi- tal Saturday at 11 p.m. James A. Martin, principal of Dallas Area Schools will speak to members of Trucksville PTA Mon- day of benefits obtained by the larger jointure and explain plans for the proposed new high school to serve five school districts Dal- las Borough, Kingston, Franklin, Dallas and Monroe Townships. 30 Years Ago - Jan .5, 1967 DALLAS BOROUGH LOWERS PROPERTY TAX Another portion of the Dallas Post Office went into action on . Tuesday when the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Soil Conservation Ser- vices moved into the wing which had been awaiting it. Larry W. Corson, Conservationist says that Dallas is the logical center for his unit as much of the work is done in the Back Mt. The agency pro- vides technical assistance to land- owners who want to develop a conservation plan. Dallas Borough Council be- came the first municipality in the Back Mountain to lower the mill- age in anticipation of the rev- enues from the 1% wage tax. Council was unanimous in its de- cision keeping a promise to the public that if they were forced to adopt the wage tax that they would cut the millage for residents of the community. 20 Years Ago - Jan. 6, 1977 TOWNSHIP TURNS DOWN 'DEPLORABLE' ROADS Dallas Township supervisors discussed at length the matter of accepting 9.43 miles of road from the state, at their reorganizational meeting this week. Chairman Phillip Walter instructed Glenn Howell to write Rep. Frank O'Connell, and PennDOT telling them that the proposed roads named for takeover by the town- ship are in worse than deplorable condition. The roads named are Ellsworth Hill Rd., Sgarlat Lake Rd., 42nd Street, Lake Catalpa Road, Upper Demunds Road and Warden Place. Kingston Township Police ar- rested two persons in connection with the burglary of Jack Givens home RD 3, Wyoming on New Year's Day. Stolen from the home was $1000 to $1500 in old coins, two hand guns, two 22 pistols, a pair of binoculars, metal detector and a gold shaving outfit. Police recovered the guns and most of the coins. ve | A D9 LE ! of OF x 2
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers