rer rma Ryo 4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, July 23, 1997 S—— | EDITORIALS | Will we address water problem before fie wells run dry? [s J Like the prophet who isn’t appreciated until it’s too late, most of us think about where our next glass of water is coming from - only when we fear it may not flow freely from the tap. In most years that means the idea of making water supplies secure never enters our minds. But every few summers we are reminded that the Back Mountain is a place of limited water sources on which greater burdens are continually piled. It’s not only increased demand that adds to the burden. As more of the region is paved over, more water runs off and less seeps into the ground to find its way into the aquifers from which we draw our supplies. Nearly all domestic and industrial ~ water in the Back Mountain comes from wells, although there are rumors Pennsylvania-American Water is planning to make the Huntsville Reservoir available at some point in the future. Summer shortages have been the bane of the region for decades, starting long before the home and business expan- sion that blossomed after 1972. That tells us the problem isn’t one only of demand; there simply isn’t enough water in the ground to get us through a few weeks of drought. It is amazing that so little — nothing, really — has been done to address such a well documented and critical issue. A small band of concerned citizens has tried from time to time to attract attention to this potentially crippling state of affairs, with little success. When things get really bad, as they did in 1988, civic leaders and the general public talk more earnestly about the problem, then lose interest with the next soaking rain. But, like a nagging backache, this is something that won't go away. Just the reverse; each year we do nothing pushes us closer to the day when the water will dry up to the point that businesses will be forced to close and home owners will think they might like to live someplace else. Restrict water use any way you can for now, and get used to it, because you'll be doing so again next month or next year, as long as we shy away from tackling the Back Mountain's fundamental water problems. DA was wrong to let Joann Curley off the hook ol “Luzerne County District Attorney Peter Paul Olszewski erred by making a plea bargain with Joann Curley, who has admitted poisoning her husband over nearly a year, until he died. Olszewski was also mistaken to hang responsibility for making the deal on the desire of Robert Curley’s family to know exactly how and why he was Killed. It doesn’t appear it would have been difficult to convince a jury that Joann Curley planned and carried out the gruesome murder of her second husband, so that she could avoid sharing the proceeds from a successful lawsuit in the death of her first ~ mate. But even if the DA thought his case wasn't airtight, there are times when the state must make every effort to convict a criminal on an appropriate charge. This was one of them. To allow Joann Curley to walk out of jail in less than 10 years sends the unwholesome message that no matter how carefully | a killer plans his or her crime, if the circumstances fall just right, they'll get a light sentence. By making a deal with a cold-blooded Killer, He DA has ‘shortchanged all of us who count on the state to deal firmly with criminals, and at the very least to keep the worst of them away from us and our loved ones. Publisher's notebook At first I thought the big orange truck lumbering up the hill was overloaded, or was carrying illegal cargo. Its slow pace was just a way to avoid detection, I surmised, since the police wouldn't be likely to stop a truck that was obeying the speed limit. But then I noticed more of them, and they were all moving at the posted speed, whether that was 35 mph, 45 mph or more. Something's up, I thought. A single polite, law-abiding trucker isone thing, but a whole fleet of them, hmm, maybe aliens. But PE couldn't find out what it was when I called the nearest terminal, since no one there is authorized to talk to the press about anything. Some corporate rule, they said. Well, I don’t need to know whether company policy or on- Board computers are responsible, I just want to congratulate Schneider National on the performance of their drivers. Anyone who has driven on our highways knows some truckers watch the speed limit as frequently as they see Falstaff at the Met. It's bad enough when people race their cars down Rt. 309 at 50 or 50 mph; at least they might be able to stop or swerve to avoid a collision. Not so with lumbering 18 wheelers — get in front of one barreling down the highway and you're history. : So thanks, Schneider, even if you make it hard to find out how you do it. If you avert one accident a year with your policy, ‘you've done a service for all of us who share the road with you. 3 2 = [89 | The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 1 Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jessica Appolo ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER 2) PRINTED WITH SOY INK] Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING ; Jill Gruyver . OFFICE MANAGER MEMBER NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION eS Flushed from their cover, birds flap to safety. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. The economic Howard Grossman If you have not heard of “Link- to-Learn”, you will be hearing about it in the near future. As a new telecommunications initiative in Pennsylvania, Link-:to-Learn has been included in Governor Ridge’s Fiscal year 1997 Budget. Under Link-to-Learn, new invest- ment monies are proposed total- ing $121 million over three years. Of this amount $100 million or $33.3 million annually will be for basic education and $21 million or $7 million annually for higher education. This new initiative is designed to build a statewide, com- munity based, telecommunica- tions network linking K-12 schools, higher education institu- tions, libraries and local govern- ments /communities. envisions the educational com- munity as being an anchor ten- ant. Long-term applications (OF \' I 4 YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - July 30, 1937 WAGNER TO RESIGN AS BORO EXECUTIVE The appointment of Burgess G. Harold Wagner to an important position under Auditor-General Warren Roberts, will result in Mr. Wagner's resignation as chief ex- ecutive of Dallas Borough at the next meeting of council. The na- ture of Wagner's new position, announcement which was made yesterday will prevent him from - holding any municipal office. After several weeks of prepara- tion including installation of anew oven and electric equipment, Howard Cosgrove formerly of Pittston, opened his new bakery in the Sullivan Building on Main Library news By Nancy Kozemchak The State . The Back Mountain Memorial Library circulated 8,304 books and other items during the month of June. Adult fiction, 2503; Juve- nile fiction, 3589; Adult non-fic- tion, 1224 and Juvenile non fic- tion, 988. Reference questions answered, 385, Book Club circu- lation 194, Interlibrary loan trans- actions 47, CD’s 52, audio tapes Link-to-Learn is education future which may derive from this pro- gram would be economic develop- ment, delivery of services by the state and communities, and health care. : Under the basic education com- ponent, the following represent goals: ...Move technology infrastruc- ture to acceptable standards ..Prepare for connection to Pennsylvania Education Network ...Training for teachers to use technology effectively. Under the higher education component, the goal is to plan, design and build the network. There is an emphasis on part- nerships including state govern- ‘ment relative to its internal tele- communications mechanism and - its external opportunities to pro- mote telecommunications, edu- cation, business and communi ties. The basic education program is intended to accomplish the fol- lowing through grants to school districts assuming that funding is made available in the fiscal 97 budget. ; ...Acquisition of new and/or replacement computers ...Establishment of local area Street this week. He has moved his family into the Johnson place on Church Street. You could get - Stewing chick- ens, 27¢ 1b.; ground beef, 19¢ lb. 50 Years Ago - Aug. 1, 1947 NATONA MILLS BUYS LAND TO BUILD HOMES Because of a housing shortage, Natona Mills has purchased from Leonard Machell 12 acres of ground lying along Center Hill Road and will erect 16 homes there for families who will move here from New England to take posi- tions with the new plant. Other houses, perhaps as many as 32 will be built there later according to a company official in charge of the firm's real estate department. Kingston Township School Board has adopted a $132,000 budget. for the current year as compared with a budget of $114,000 for last year. Some of this increase is due to increased teacher salaries but a large partis due to recognition of an old debt for teacher salaries which has yearly carried over and not placed Circulation 431 and videos 263, New books added to the collection: adult 106, juvenile 49, books withdrawn: adult 356, juvenile 55. New bor- rowers joined the library; adults 54, juvenile 93, re-registrations: adult 112, juvenile 101. The 1997 library auction was a huge success in every area. Dur- ing the first 50 auction years, Bill Spurlin, chairman of the 1979 auction; advises he had a no-rain auction. Well, the 51st auction just completed a no-rain auction; hopefully not the only one for the next 50 years. The auction grounds were filled with tents, booths, and people and chairs in almost every available space. How- ever, this is the last year, after 12 summers on the new library networks or wide area networks ...Training for effectively using technology in curricula activities ...Move schools to appropriate technology maturity level ..Grant funding based on ma- turity levels and need ...Nomicro-management by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Three major components are included in year one for higher education. These are as follows: ...Statewide assessment of tele- communications infrastructure ...Technology test beds. ...Action plan for building a network : ...Teacher technology training There is a particular need for advanced technology and infra- structure development in rural Pennsylvania. Rural Pennsylva- nia includes much of Northeast- ern Pennsylvania. There are more rural residents in Pennsylvania than any other state. To achieve the means by which appropriate economic development can take place in Northeastern Pennsylva- nia and other parts of the Com- monwealth, especially as a new century dawns, requires the best technology and telecommunica- tions growth possible within the on the budget. Repairs and improvements are being made at Dallas Borough High School building this sum- mer. The entire basement is brought up to date and trans- formed into a modern well- equipped manual training depart- ment equipped with more than $2,250 worth of new wood and metal working equipment. 40 Years Ago - Aug. 2, 1957 DALLAS UM TO GET $100,000 WORTH OF RENOVATION Trustees and Official Board are expected to approve final plans for a $100,000 addition to Dallas Methodist Church when they meet with Architect James Lacy of Lacy, Atherton and Davis, and shortly thereafter advertise for bids. The general plans calling for a two story and Sunday School Build- ing have already been approved. Janet Evans, widow of former Trucksville Postmaster Gwilym Evans, has retired after 14 years of service with the Post Office Dept. and Fred Rundle, Trucksville, has been appointed window clerk. educational system of the Com- monwealth. One question to ask, of course, is whether or not Penn- sylvania can afford to provide all of the resources necessary to up- grade and modernize all school. districts in Pennsylvania. Another question to ask, however, is what happens if Pennsylvania cannot afford to provide all of the re- sources necessary to modernize the educational telecommunica- tions and technological compo- nent? Pennsylvania may beata Cross- roads. To prepare an adequate and competent workforce for 21st Century life, the best that this state currently can offer may not be enough. On the other hand, a partnership between and among the public and private non-profit sectors may be the desirable course of action to achieve the best results. Link-to-Learn is an intended partnership for the growth and development of North- eastern Pennsylvania and other regions across the state. It should be supported. Howard Grossman is Executive Director of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Penn- sylvania. He lives in Dallas. 30 Years Ago - July 27, 1967 DALLAS GETS NEW VARIETY STORE ON CHURCH ST. Dallas has in its midst a new Variety Store replacing the 5¢ to $1.00 formerly carried in the Ben Franklin on Church Street. A néw line has been added to Davis Mar- ket on Dallas-Lake Highway. 20 Years Ago - July 28, 1977 ACME MARKET RECEIVES BOMB THREAT Acme Supermarket in Dallas received a bomb threat Saturday evening, Officer John Fowler said, causing the store to close for one and a half hours as local police searched the premises. A thot- ough search inside the store and on grounds surrounding the store police found no evidence of abomb. Dallas Community Church lo- cated on Memorial Highway, be- tween Dallas and Harveys Lake)’ will open a new Christian School this fall-as an alternative to the public school system for the fam= ily desiring a Christian educatihy for their children. tops 8,000 in June grounds, when the layout will be as extensive. The children’s wing is now under construction and will eliminate some of the auction space. The auction committee has "announced that the library will not accept any book donations or odds and ends for the next auc- tion, due to the Children’s Wing expansion project; until further notice. New books at the library: “Se- crecy” by Belva Plain is a passion- ate, riveting novel about an ex- traordinary family bound-and- torn by: ‘Secrecy’. A terrifying ordeal happened to Charlotte Dawes when she was only 14. It would rob her of her innocence and haunt her for the rest of her life. 28 “A Time to Live” Dy Robert Raines covers the seven tasks of creating aging. It does not dodge the challenges with which aging confronts us. Rather it uses them to show how they can serve as keys to unlock our full human potential of being, feeling, think- ing, and growing. Loss is a stepa ping-stone to wisdom. “Baseball Cat” by Garrison Allen is about the Coyotes, a semi-pro= fessional baseball team, barely out of the dugout, trying to break a hot losing streak. Before the first note of the National Anthem is sung, somebody uses the owner's head for a baseball and scores a deadly hit. A corpse before morn- ing coffee. Jy
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers