4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 3, 1997 AC EET Lehman school board wise to delay choice of architect rr Lake- -Lehman school board members acted properly by voting to’ ‘table the appointment of an architect for a potential building Tenovation and construction project. The reasoning behind the vote — that this is a decision best left to the incoming school board — is correct, and may help avoid the kind of nasty infighting that overwhelmed all other topics in the Crestwood School District the last two years. With a budget barely in balance and no fund reserves, Lake- Lehman faces some hard choices in the next few years, so it’s worth the slight delay to avert dissension that might have arisen from the choice of architect. Waiting for the new board should also provide time to solicit ideas and bids from more than one firm, assuring the taxpaying public the district is getting the w La x o The present proposal would close the ailing middle school and bu it with space added on to the high school. It would be ‘interesting to see what competing architects could come up with ‘in the way of recommendations that would provide the best : setting for students at a price the district can afford. Perhaps the : best plan will come from the present architect; the only way to ‘be sure is to ask for more than one opinion. - Athletic excellence nothing new at Lake-Lehman It’s nice to see so many people who once considered Lake- | Lehman’ s athletic programs inferior to the brand at Dallas come to the realization that excellence knows no boundaries. It’s too - bad it took so long — and the accomplishments of an overachiev- | ing football team — for them to wake up. Perhaps they hadn't noticed the years of championship play in field hockey, volley- ball, soccer and cross country. Or maybe they still don’t think those are “real” sports, a designation reserved for baseball, basketball and football. They apparently missed past football jams as well, teams that have been in playoffs most years. © Athletics are an important, though secondary, part of the : sehont experience. For most players, they are about trying your hardest, learning new skills and teamwork. For a few, sport is ‘an entry pass to college, smoothing the path to future career | success. For fans, the games are a source of pride and vicarious accomplishment, and a way to keep in touch with classmates who they would otherwise drift apart from. Of course, a winning {Tgcord isn’t necessary for any of this. . Butlet’s not forget that excellence on the playing field is a poor substitute for achievement in the classroom, where the real L Re a lth ee : Publisher’ s notebook [E . Spending the Thanksgiving holiday aveling | to the kids’ grandmas’ houses, I got a chance to listen to a couple of all-news radio stations and tune in some local television news. What I ‘heard and saw was much the same as in past years — reports i} that airports were crowded and that the busiest shopping day of year was upon us, except on WCBS in New York, which : posed the latter statement as myth. It really isn’t the busiest day, they reported, the last Saturday before Christmas is. I was grateful for the insight. *“*None of this is new, of course, or news, but it seemed the focus on shopping had grown by leaps and bounds. WCBS and another radio station had “team coverage” from the shopping malls, with reporters stationed at strategic locations to track down Santa and shoppers to get the real scoop on the frenzy. Ditto for a Providence television station. The reports, of course, consisted of the usual suspects, such as what are the hot toys this year and why do you go out in these crowds anyway? The news from the airports was less dramatic, as reporters had a hard time finding anyone who was inconvenienced or unhappy. Better luck next year. . Daily newspapers aren't exempt either, many filling front pages with the same mindless nonsense, only a day late. How many of you found those stories interesting, or even bothered to read them? I know it's a slow news time, but couldn’t these big media outlets find something more interesting to cover? If the holiday i is the focus, atleast they could talk about its history and meaning, not just how much fun it is to shop. Here's what I think is going on. Nearly all radio and television stations and larger newspapers are links in huge chains, often with publicly traded stock. That means profit takes an ever- increasing priority, and profit comes mostly from advertising sales. And who buys ads? Stores and companies that are trying to sell us stuff, and never more so than at Christmas. Since listeners, viewers and readers seem willing to accept whatever the media hands them, reports that warm advertisers’ hearts are given prominence over more newsworthy items, and every- i one whistles all the way to the bank. pn =e dc SA Sa a a NAT SO o_o ns?" i A Sm te od AS me SH A Sa Ai wa ro ! Eo Vig k le The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. ' P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 ‘ : 717-675-5211 ; Ronald A. Bartizek | ' © PUBLISHER Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jessica Appolo ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER i Ruth Proietto : Olga Kostrobala ; PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING I Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER : , MEMOER rd ' 2) PRINTED WITH NIN PENNSYLVANIA 1 YINK| MATICAL Newsparen NEWSPAPER How many holes can a woodpecker peck? At least 15 or 16, according to Susan Halbing of Dallas. This backyard specimen is the victim of one bird that returns each year to carve new notches. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. A Case for conservation Alene N. Case Thanksgiving has just passed and the holiday shopping extrava- ganza is upon us. In worship we have spoken words such as: “A harvest of abundance surrounds us. We will eat in plenty and be satisfied. We trust God to supply what we most need.” But, I look around and wonder whether any- one is ever truly satisfied and whether anyone can be that trust- ing. We all seem to stuff ourselves to excess and run around franti- cally trying to make all the right purchases. It is time to sit down and think about how much is enough. Conservation is based upon the Latin word meaning to keep or preserve. It is rather ironic that fiscal and political conservatives tend tomaintain a system in which money is maximized and people are actively encouraged to “con- sume” as many resources as pos- sible. Scientists know that it is never possible to consume any- thing in the true sense of the term, only to convert it to another form or to release energy from it. But, our entire economic system is built upon the assumption that growth in consumption is the de- sired end. As Donald Trump suc- cinctly put it in his latest autobi- ography, “Greed is good.” Avariety of people from all walks of life and many different tradi- tions are increasingly concerned about this situation and are be- ginning to ask the difficult ques- How much is enough? tion, “How much is enough?” Itis obvious that poverty is not a de- sirable condition either for the people who are poor or for their environment. When one is des- perate for food and shelter, one tends to cut down too many trees, to try to farm marginal lands that easily erode, and to pollute the air by burning dirty fuels. One also tends to drink water that is con- taminated by all these other ac- tivities and by one’s own waste. The result is illness, pollution, and even more desperate circum- stances. Most people who are consider- ing this question are not suggest- ing that many conveniences of modern life such as refrigeration of food, clean running water, warm houses, and adequate clothes and shoes be dispensed with. In fact, they assume that all the world’s population should have access to these amenities. They are, how- ever, questioning our society's assumption that resources are infinite and that we should grab as many for ourselves as humanly possible. Herman E. Daly, senior economist in the Environment Department of the World Bank, puts it this way: “[Emphasizing stewardship] is of paramount im- portance because the problem of sharing a fixed amount of re- sources and goods is much greater than that of sharing a growing amount.” Some people think that if we could just solve the population problem we would not have to worry about all these other con- cerns. I agree that there are too many people on this planet. But, Iam also convinced that the “greed is good” philosophy of those of us who have the most is at least as large a problem. Since 1950 the world has consumed as many goods and services as ALL other generations combined. That can- not be explained simply by popu- lation increase. In fact, in Penn- sylvania the population has grown only 13 percent since 1950 and yet our number of households has doubled. That means that fewer people are living in more and bigger dwellings which are more spread out across the land requiring more energy and mate- rials. Not only do we opt for larger homes, we demand more cars and trucks, more food from further away (2000 kilometers per aver- age mouthful!), more carpets, hot tubs, parking lots, stores, etc. etc. Everything must be faster and fancier. We buy powerful vehicles in order to drive to work at an average freeway speed of 18 mph (a bicycle would be at least that fast!). We gulp down takeout food and then complain that there is no time for family gatherings. Our affluence has not translated into personal or corporate satisfaction or happiness. And, it has been destructive of the environment in all areas of the world. It is time to ask, “how much is enough?” Ayoung Tanzanian park ranger by the name of Renatas sums up our situation this way: “After I be dead, others will follow. If people be Killing, killing, there will be no more buffalo, no rhino. If they be cutting, cutting, there will be no more trees, no oxygen, no rain. Like adesert. What will my daugh- ters think? They will come and there will be nothing. ‘Our father was stupid,’ they will say.” Let us not be “stupid.” Let us be thank- ful and begin to consider the true meaning of conservation. How much is enough for you? How much is too much? Q. Where do you find the most Back Mountain news and photos each week? A. Only in The Dallas Post ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Dec. 10, 1937 | GEORGE AYRE SWORNIN : | AS SCHOOL BOARD HEAD . Joseph Polacky assumed his duties as acting postmaster, in Dallas Borough this week, pre- paring to succeed George -T. Kirdendall who is resigning to become a member of the firm of H.A. Whiteman Co. Inc. of Wilkes- Barre. The solemn presentation of a 451b. sledge hammer as a gavel to George Ayre, newly elected presi- dent of Dallas Borough School Board was only one of the fantas- tic things which took place when Dallas Board reorganized on Mon day. Altogether there were five official and semi-official gather: ings to mark the departure of Dr. G.K. Swartz, President, Jack Rob- erts and Stanley B. Davies and to welcome George Ayre, John T. Jeter and William Baker new. di- rectors. Aeon 50 Years Ago - Dec. 12, 1947“ FINAL TRIBUTEPAID TO JANE LOHMANN tie The White Church in Truecks- ville where she had worshiped for so many years was filled Tuesday afternoon with those who had come to pay final tribute to Janie, Lohmann, former postmistress and perhaps on of the most widely known women in Trucksville.’ A boy whose parents for many years lived in the Back Mountain area has recently been made tred- surer of the Studebaker Corpora- tion, South Bend, Indiana. He'is Elmer E. Richards, son of Louise Lamoreaux and the late Sherman L. Richards who lived in the house on Late Street now owned by Dr. F. Budd Schooley. Kingston Township is the sec- ond school district in the Wilkes- Barre area to make application for a dual control training car for training student drivers. ; } ' 40 Years Ago - Dee. 13, 1957 | GROUND BROKEN FOR | FIRST SHOPPING CTR. Constuction of the Back Mountain's first big shopping cen- ter will start immediately on five acres of ground opposite Evans Rexall Drug Store, Shavertown. The Back Mountain Shopping Center will include an air condi- tioned Acme supermarket and nine other stores similarly air con- ditioned and all connected by an all-weather canopy convenient for shoppers. j First steps in an attempt to organize a Back Mountain Police Association were taken Monday night when representative police officers met at Kingston Town- ship to discuss the proposal. 30 Years Ago - Dec. 14, 1967 fT LAKE-LEHMAN TAKES ~~ * *' POSSESSION OF 'OLD SHOE' Tonight is the great night for the Lake-Lehman football team, when Dallas Rotary Club enter- tains team coaches and manag- ers and presents the Old Shoe trophy to the victors in the Thanks- giving Day game. Harry Leeds, football scout for the University of Pennsylvania will be the main speaker. Books added to the Civil War collection at the Back Mountain Memorial Library in memory of the late Howard Risley, editor of The Dallas Post and an authority on the War between the States brings the number up to 50 vol- umes. You could get; Lancaster Brand Porterhouse Steaks, 89¢ 1b.; Ba- nanas, 10¢ 1b., Raisin Bread, 11b. loaf, 33¢. 20 Years Ago - Dec. 8, 1977 | LIBRARY ASKS TOWNS : FOR HELP WITH DEFICIT Harveys Lake councilman Guy Giordano moved to authorize so- licitor John Thomas draw up an ordinance to establish a Citizens Planning Commission to be com- posed of one member of Borough Council, one member from the present zoning board and three citizens. Clarke Bittner, member of the board of Back Mountain Memo- rial Library urged Dallas Town- ship Board of Supervisors at their regular monthly meeting for funds to offset the $10,000 deficit the library faces this year. Bittner stated that there are 8,000 active borrowers and 75,000 books were loaned during the first 11 months of this year. : 0 { )
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers