&) re 4 Nice doggie Nancy Dukes and Toby, her standard poodle "therapy dog," paid a visit to Trucksville Nursery School recently. She has three poodles that are used in-Pet Assisted Therapy at hospitals and nursing homes in the region. Above, from left, Meghan Bloom, Sergey Galkina Bobby Graham and Max Cook get a close’ look. At right, Nancy shows the children what a good dog Toby can be. POST PHOTOS/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK : ‘The economic | viewpoin i Howard Grossman A'recent evetn in the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania may result in actions which would pro- mote 21st Century life in North- eastern Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsyl- vania (EDCNP) and co-sponsored by 16 higher educational institu- tions serving the region and 12 corporate sponsors, a Regional Economic Summit Conference was held at Split Rock Lodge on October 9, 1997. Purpose was to review the opportunities which exist and develop recommenda- tions dealing with the 21st Cen- tury and Northeastern Pennsyl- vania. This major event attracted over 200 persons and featured 11 panel presentations, two major speakers and other activities. Probably five major activities dominated the panel presenta- tions and the comments by the major speakers. These included the following: e A call for significantly more regionalism. e A call for many more public- private sector partnerships. * A call for regional planning. ¢ The need for tax reform in Pennsylvania. / : e Enhance workforce develop- ment. . - The two major speakers in- cluded Dan Whalen, President/ CEO of Bell Atlantic Pennsylvnaia and Michael Fairbanks, graduate of the University of Scranton and a co-leader of the Monitor Com- pany in Cambridge, MA. Whalen spoke on the increasing role of Library news ou Nancy Kozemchak .The Back Mountain Memorial Library circulated 6,236 books during the month of February: adult fiction 2,458; juvenile fic- tion 1,600; adult non-fiction 1,462; juvenile non-fiction 716. Reference questions answered 246; Book Club books circulated 187; Interlibrary loan transactions 32; CDs 49; audio tapes 370; and ‘videos 263. New books added to the collection adult 85; juvenile 30; withdrawn, juvenile 79. New Economic Summit looks to 21st century in region telecommunication as an eco- nomic development tool, pointing to specific projects which have come to Northeastern Pennsylva- nia and elsewhere as a result of a telecommunications policy. He noted the Pennsylvania legisla- © tion enacted by the General As- sembly and signed into law by the Governor in 1993 and suggested the opportunities which exist in the 21st Century to use telecom- munications as a dominant tool for economic expansion. Fairbanks electrified the lun- ° cheon crowd with a 75 minute presentation concerning his view of what is happening in some third world countries and how the needs of those countries and the style of function and activity has applicability to Northestern Penn- sylvania. He pointed to the need for extremely specific strategies for economic growth and referred to principles which he recently wrote in a co-authored book titled “Plowing the Sea”. The 11 panel presentations covered topics of importance to 21st Century life in the region. - They included the following: 1. Transportation 2. Economic Diversification 3. Intergovernmental Coopera- tion 4. Municipal Land Use Planning Issues 5. Environmental 6. Human Services & Housing 7. Telecommunications 8. Current Funding Programs for Municipal Governments. 9. Training & Education 10. Technology 11. Legislative A special report will be pub- lished in the near future outlining the results of the conference and sent to those in attendance as well as other public, private and ° Annual fundraiser to begin 3925 RIVER ROAD, PLAINS borrowers: adult 46, juvenile 36; re-registrations, adult 39; juve- nile 42. Total active borrowers as of February 28 = 10,789. The ‘Friends of the Back Moun- tain Memorial Library’ have been busy at work on the annual ap- peal to the public for funds to help maintain the building and the business of the library. Shirley Forney, chairperson and the steer- . ing committee of the ‘Friends’ spent many hours preparing the mailing. The funds derived from this campaign have, become one of the major financial supports for the library. The theme for 1998 is “Libraries are not ‘made, they grow”. The 10th annual ‘Luncheon With A Special Author’ sponsored by the ‘Friends’ has been set for Thurs., April 23. A reminder to keep this date open. non-profit leaders across the re- gion. Among the distinguished pan- elists were Luzerne County Com- missioner Tom Makowski, Pike County Commissioner Gene Garvey, Carbon County Commis- sioner Charles Getz, City of Wilkes- Barre Mayor, Tom McGroarty and many private sector leaders in- volved in the economic develop- ment of Northeastern Pennsylva- nia. Also participating were mem- bers of the local industrial devel- opment community across the region. A State of the Region 1997 adddress was given by the EDCNP Executivie Director outlining what we might look for in the 21st Century in Northeastern Penn- sylvania with some specific rec- ommendations for action. Tom Heaney, President of EDCNP opened the Conference. Bill Kelly, President and General Manager of WVIA was overall con- ference moderator and Anna Cervenak, External Affairs Man- ager of Bell Atlantic and former EDCNP President summarized the conference. Following the completion of the all day event, WVIA conducted a one-hour taping for future pre- sentation on their station and fea- tured five members of the presen- tation panel from the conference as well as Michael Fairbanks. For further information pertain- ing to the Regional Economic Sum- mit Conference, the results thereof, and other activities deal- ing with the economy of the re- gion, contact EDCNP, 1151 Oak Street, Pittston, Pa 18640. Howard Grossman is Executive Director ofthe Economic Develop- ment Council of Northeastern Penn- sylvania. He lives in Dallas. New books at the library: “Sudden Mischief” by Robert B. Parker is about Brad Sterling, former Harvard football player, ne’er-do-well, and Silverman’s long-out-of-touch husband and by all appearances a successful businessman. “And Then You Die” by Iria Johansen is a nerve-shattering novel, a story of deadly greed and global terror. A seasoned photo- journalist, Bess Grady, has honed her craft, then an easy assign- ment turns into a desperate jour- ney into fear. “All I Need is You” by Johanna Lindsey is about Casey Straton, a headstrong child with her mother’s eyes and her father’s stubborn temperament. The re- sponsibility of running her late grandfather's ranch goes to Casey, her older brother. : Susan © LIQUIDATING ALL STOCK UNBELIVABLE PRICES! Sq. Yd.|Sq. Yd.[Sq. Yd. SAVE %5% Sq. Yd. | SAVE $8 Sq. Yd. [SAVE 57 Sq. Yd. *90 DAYS/6 MONTHS 1 YEAR NO INTEREST CARPET - REM'S 0% OFF TUFT TEX CARPET HOME DESIGN CENTER 823-1201 OR 823-2429 OPEN MON. thru FRI. 8-8 8-4 «- SUN. 12-4 “ESTIMATES ALWAYS CHEERFULLY GIVEN” Always Free Measurements Installation Available
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers