4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, September 30, 1998 Why letters must be signed Every now and then, we receive letters to the editor asking that the name of the author be withheld. The writer appears to fear that by voicing an opinion, they will be the target of some form of retaliation, whether from government officials, co- workers, friends or family members. While we can appreciate these concerns, we also want to make clear the reasoning behind our policy of requiring that letters appear with the name of the writer, except in the most extreme cases. We believe our society is supported in large part by trust, between voters and officials, between consumers and sellers, and between individuals. Trust is built on openness and aecountability. Sometimes — perhaps many times — one side or the other in this equation might rather not be open about their motives or actions, but the knowledge they will be held accountable is strong enough to keep them in line. Other times, afrindividual may be acting in a wholly forthright manner, but rdise suspicions simply because they also are operating in secret. Given all the variables, it’s best if we maintain a system that “keeps us honest,” rather than one that makes exceptions too easily. .»From the newspaper's standpoint, we have no more reason tatrust the honesty of a writer who requests anonymity than we .do of a politician who refuses to speak on the record. In either case, we would be asking readers to accept someone's point of view without knowing if they have a hidden agenda. We will not participate in such a sham. .» Some newspapers have stooped so far as to publish reams of called-in rumors and allegations. In doing so, we believe they have demeaned and weakened themselves, choosing to use gossip as a way to increase sales, while chipping away at the foundation of our society. In the long run, we all lose when any of us lowers our standards in this manner. Public discussion of issues is critical if we are to find appropriate solutions to challenges in school, government, the workplace and families. Those who will not speak up must face up to the fact that opinions hidden behind anonymity have little value, because those they hope to influence are clever enough not to fear them. Don’t be afraid, speak up and take your place in the grand scheme of our democracy. : Publisher's notebook . Time for a little travelogue. We spent the long Labor Day weekend at Niagara Falls, Canada, and it was a treat. Those of you, like us, who have not been there in a while, will be pleasantly surprised at the growth in activities and attractions. I had not been to the falls since the late 1960's, and then had only passed by. Charlotte's family had camped there a few years earlier, but she didn’t recall it being anything like it is now. For starters, there are three towers from which to view the falls, just in case you don’t think theyre spectacular enough from, ground level. The most impressive is the Skylon Tower, which looks a bit like the Space Needle in Seattle or the CN Tower in Toronto. At 500+ feet, it's the tallest, and has a revolving restaurant with wonderful food, an unexpected treat. All along the Canadian side are shops, restaurants and a “downtown amusement park with arcades and games. (For you Beanie Baby fans, yes, they had Maple, for about $400 Cana- dian!) Speaking of money, the exchange rate is favorable now. We got $1.51 for each U.S. dollar, plus visitors can get most of the ‘national tax back before leaving Canada. Of course, the claim centers are located in duty-free shops, so we immediately spent «the bounty. We didn’t come prepared for one of the nicest features, a 35- “mile bicycle path along the Niagara River, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Mostly flat, it offers an enjoyable ride at the river's edge, past wineries and farm shops on some of the route. ‘But we did do the usual tourist things, such as riding the Maid -of the Mist boat, where we managed to enjoy getting soaked to ‘the skin. + We only scratched the surface. Now we're fired up to go back, perhaps in the dead of winter when the frozen falls present a different kind of spectacle, but one that’s surely memorable. About letters, columns and editorials The Dallas Post attempts to publish opinions on a variety of topics in many forms. : Editorials, which are the opinion of the managment of The Post, appear on the editorial page and are written by the editor unless otherwise indicated. Any artwork represents the opinion of the cartoonist, and columns are the opinion of the author. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: * Letters should not exceed 500 words. * No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30-day period, except as a reply to another letter. e Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and | a telephone number for verification. ‘le Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the ~ writer. * The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. In addition to letters, we welcome longer pieces that may run as columns. The author or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting material for publi- cation. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Jessica Appolo ; ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER bro ee GO SEO epuiatn 7 PRINTED WITH UA PENNSYLVANIA SOY INK NATIONAL NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATIOI Chairs in Lehman wait for someone to sit on the next summerlike day. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LETTERS ; | : Not all Harveys Lake council officials question police dept. Editor: : I am writing to you in response toyour Editorial in the Wed., Sept. 23, edition of your paper. Please do not include the entire Harveys Lake Council in the secret con- spiracy to do away with the police department. I, for one, would never want to see this department done away with. The police de- partment is a very important part of our community. : It was councilman Francis Kopko who took it upon himself to approach a few of our bordering communities to see if they would consider taking over our police coverage. I myself confronted Mr. Kopko and Mr. Noon, the Presi- dent of our Council, last month about this rumor. Mr. Kopko told - me, in front of the rest of the council members, that he, and he alone, did this. When I asked Mr. Noon if he knew what was going on, he responded he did. I also asked Mr. Noon why he let this happen. He stated he had no control over what Mr. Kopko did. Mr. Kopko said he took action as a private citizen. In my opinion, when someone holds a seat on the council, that person is no longer a private citizen, until after they complete their term. Maybe he thought he could scare them by his actions. I have to agree with our Mayor Richard Boice who says we have a great police department. The chief of police has been black balled by some on this council since day one. The chief of police is doing a fine job. He needs to be left alone to keep doing his job. Our officers are fine young men, professionals who take pride in their work. Maybe, instead of thinking about getting rid of the police, we should be looking into a full time depart- ment. Please, before you accuse all of us next time, call and ask how we stand on the issues. Also, I do agree that the public should be involved in something as major as this issue. 1 fully support the Harveys Lake Police Department. Betty Jane West Councilwoman Harveys Lake Borough HE rit ONLY YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - Oct. 7, 1938 DISPUTE OVER FOREMAN SHUTS DOWN PROJECT The Works Progress Adminis- tration has closed down the Machell Avenue project until after election as a result of a dispute with Dallas Borough Council over who was to be foreman. Three weeks ago Kyle Cundiff, Republi- can committeeman in south Dis- trict was dismissed presumably because he helped to increase Re- publican registration here several days ago. Dallas Council pro- tested the dismissal and threat- ened to close down the project. Cundiff was given a laborers job on a WPA job near Goss School House and 28 men employed at Machell Avenue have been trans- ferred temporarily to other projects. You could get - Sugar, 10 lb. paper bag, 45¢; flour, 24 lb. bag, 85¢; Supreme Bread, Ig. loaf, 8¢; grapes 5¢ 1b.; celery, bch, 5¢; lettuce 2 hds. 15¢. 50 Years Ago - Oct. 8, 1948 BMT RESIDENTS SHOCKED BY HIGH WATER BILL Water bills at the new rate were this week received by consumers who purchase their water from Dallas and Shavertown Water Co. The higher rates were a complete surprise to officers of the Back Mountain Protective Association whohad assumed that rates would not be raised until after they have had an opportunity to present their side of the case to the Public Util- ity Commission in Harrisburg. A crowd of 100 attended the Kingston Township Veterans an- niversary celebration Tuesday evening. The highlight of the evening came when Bill Johnson presiding in the absence of presi- dent Bob Considine announced that the organization had paid its note in full to the bank. The Veterans Association conceived by a group of World War I veterans was organized Jan. 1931 as a civic and social association. 40 Years Ago - Oct. 3, 1958 MOBILE HOSPITAL BEING STORED AT SCHOOL Storage for a 200 bed mobile hospital to be used in Civil De- fense or disaster, will be in charge of Robert Z. Belles, supervising principal of Lake-Noxen School. Stored at Noxen the 12 ton hospi- tal with its 367 cases of materials can be transported readily to any place in the area in a trailer truck. The mobile hospital is one of two which have already been un- loaded. Employees of Raymon R. Hedden, contractor, put the fin- ishing touches on the exterior of the $123,750 Sunday‘ School building being built for Dallas United Methodist Church. They are now concentrating on the in- terior work to make up time lost by rains at the start of construc- tion. Originally planned to be completed in 120 days, the addi- tion will probably not be com- pleted till late November. 30 Years Ago - Oct. 10, 1968 THE ABINGTON JOURNAL BUYS DALLAS POST The Abington Journal a subur- ban Scranton newspaper has pur- chased The Dallas Post. A real estate and business closing took place Oct. 4 in the office of B.B. Lewis, Dallas attorney. Henry C. McGrath, Esq. represented the Abington Journal. The move brought together the two top sub- urban newspapers in northeast- ern part of Pennsylvania, creating an important new force in local media development. It is the first time that any newspaper has bridged the gap between separate markets of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. State fire marshalls are investi- gating an outbreak of fires in the Back Mountain area that may prove to be the work of arsonists. Latest fire which destroyed the barn on property of Edgar Engelman, Noxen occurred last Saturday at 2 a.m. The lost was estimated at around $12,000. 20 Years Ago - Oct. 5, 1978 WATER COMPANY LAYS NEW PIPES ON PIONEER AVENUE Lester W. Venable, manager of Dallas/Shavertown Water Co. announced that workers have be- gun installation of approximately 1500 Feet of new four inch water main on North Pioneer Avenue, Shavertown. The main will con- nect Zinn Street with Davis Street. The new installation is in con- junction with the existing improve- ment of approximatly 3,000 feet of new four inch main completed in 1976. You could get - Center cut pork chops $1.791b.; King size box Tide detergent, $2.29; Campbell's To- mato Soup, 5-10 oz. cans $1; McIntosh apples, 3 1b. bag, 69¢; honeydews, each 99¢. WORD ON THE STREET Q.: What did you want to become when you were little? APRIL STINSKY Occupational Therapy major "A veterinarian." ' Where asked: College Misericordia GREG KNIGHT Business/Marketing major "| wanted to be a pilot." BROOKE SHROYER Occupational Therapy major "I told my family | wanted to grow up and be a mom." NICHOLAS MASICK Occupational Therapy major "| wanted to be truck driver." No chains on us. The Dallas Post has been the Back Mountain's locally owned and operated newspaper since 1889. @ @
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers