_-.— i 4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, November 17, 1999 EDITORIALS If you care about mining ‘issue, attend this meeting There is one thing clear about the zoning battle between Jackson Township and American Asphalt Paving Co. — it has - gone on far too long and cost both sides far too much. The reasons why, though, are more murky. Township officials blundered into the dispute more than 20 years ago when the company announced that it would begin to mine rock and gravel from land it had purchased from Penn- sylvania Gas & Water Co. Township officials declared the land was zoned for agricultural use, and the company appealed the decision. The matter has been in the courts ever since, but the township lost whatever momentum it had when the case was allowed to lay dormant for 10 years. It was revived, but documents have been lost and the matter reached the point that a court-appointed mediator threw up his hands and told the parties to work out their problems themselves. Now, after much of the disputed land has been mined and has lost any resemblance to rolling fields, American Asphalt has asked that the land be officially rezoned for mining. The township planning commission, sensing the futility of contin- ued legal jousts, has recommended the change, which must be approved by the board of supervisors. But there are strings attached — conditions that are meant to allow peaceful coex- istence between a company that has called the township home for decades and people who live near enough to be affected by the mining operation, which includes blasting to break up the rock ledge that runs through the area. The list of conditions is not yet complete, so now it’s time for everyone with an interest ‘in resolving the issue to have their say. The supervisors have called a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Jackson Township Fire Hall on Chase Rd. They expect to hear opinions about a settlement from township residents and property owners. Individuals will undoubtedly disagree on what conditions should be placed on rezoning the land — they’ll even disagree on whether to settle the matter or continue to pursue it in court. But the most important aspect of this meeting is that each person can make his or her opinion known, and give the supervisors something to think about before they eventually take a vote on the issue. Anyone with an ~ interest should not miss it. Publisher's notebook Don’t be surprised if you see me on the evening news, being dragged away in handcuffs, or if my mug shows up on a wanted poster at the Post Office. l admit it, I'm guilty, guilty of returning a couple of rental videos late and refusing to pay the price. Here's my sad, tawdry story of negligence and deceit. It was a dark and stormy night — well, it was getting a little dark anyway —when I entered the video store looking for a copy of Happy Gilmore for my son. Since that movie is more than three weeks old it was on the bargain rack, where you get two for the price of one. So I grabbed The French Connection, and headed to the counter to plunk down my $3.50 for a seven-day rental. (I'm sure you can tell what a valuable customer of the store I am.) Over the next few days, Carl watched his movie about 34 times, but we never got around to mine. But then things went terribly wrong; I forgot the tapes were due back on Saturday. I noticed the mistake Sunday evening, and then, with characteristic abandon, decided since they were seven- day rentals it didn’t matter as long as I brought them back in the next couple of days. After all, I'd be a man about it, and pony up another $3.50, so the store wouldn't lose a nickel because of my reckless behavior. Or so I thought. The sun was shining brightly when I walked into the store Wednesday morning, eager to put my derelict past behind. Little did I suspect the gloom that would descend soon. I marched right up to the counter, quickly explained my crime, and offered to pay the price as long as it was $3.50. But no, that wasn't good enough. My heinous behavior would put a blot on my record unless I came up with $10.60. “What!” I exclaimed, “I'm willing to compensate you all the revenue you may have lost,” I said as calmly as my raging emotions would allow. “But listen, sweetheart, I won't pay no $10.60 — that’s three times what it cost to rent them for a week in the first place.” The reply came quickly; no dice. It was a pay-up-or-shut-up deal, and I wasn’t about to let myself be taken advantage of that way, even if it meant a life on the lam. I'm no coward, so I returned to the store to talk to the manager, except she was never there. (Out of courtesy I won't identify the national chain video store whose name starts with P that’s at the opposite end of a shopping center from BiLo.) But I persisted, I wanted to clear my name. But the last time [ went in I found out it was too late; there was a note attached to my file saying the big guy downtown turned a deaf ear to my plea for mercy. So, here I am, waiting for the flatfeet to knock on the door, while my children are giving me the silent treatment. But that will only last for another five or six years ‘til they go off to college, so I think I'll hole up until then. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 570-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Gregory Culver : ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Kasia McDonough REPORTER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER Christine Pizzano OFFICE ASSISTANT ri PRINTED WITH PENNSYLV/ SOY INK] de NEWSPAPER ES ed ¥ Water over the dam. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. We must work together to combat alcohol abuse Guest column John E. Jones III With age comes clarity and wisdom — things we generally don’t possess when we enter col- lege. In fact, those who go to col- lege usually do so with the hope that they will attain those things. Young people, by nature, have a restless spirit. They are fearless because they know not what to fear. They want success, but may lack the foresight and discipline to achieve it. They are blind to the risks of alcohol and are therefore unprepared for the potential per- ils and uncertainties of the life that awaits them on campus to- day. It has long been held that in- creased education is the answer to many of our social ills, but what we are learning about our college binge and underage drink- ing problem is that much more than that is necessary. Our cul- ture has popularly regarded drink- ing as a rite of passage, but for our youth these days it often re- sults in last rites. Perhaps unwit- tingly, but also negligently, adults have condoned this behavior through years of inaction. But the problem can no longer be ignored. When I became chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) in the spring of 1995, the agency's Bureau of Al- cohol Education was in its in- fancy. My fellow board members and I were acutely aware of the rising number of alcohol-related incidents involving youth and we made it our mission to meet this problem head-on. We learned early that the college binge and underage drinking problem is very complex. It does not lend itself to “quick fix” solutions. While we have never pretended to have all of the answers, as a government agency, we determined that we were in the unique position of being able to lend our resources and to bring together all parties affected by the problem in order to collectively seek solutions. Our first goal was to form com- munity-based coalitions, bring- ing together college students, ad- ministrators, faculty, liquor lic- ensees, local government and other leaders in order to deter- mine how to change the culture and environment that encourages underage and binge drinking. The first coalition began at Bloomsburg University in 1997. It was administered by the PLCB and funded by state and federal grant monies. Since the program began, the Bloomsburg commu- nity has experienced a marked decrease in arrests for DUI, pub- lic drunkenness and disorderly conduct. While the initiative is far from over, it has by all accounts been a significant success. The PLCB is now preparing a manual on what we have termed The Bloomsburg Initiative, which will be distributed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- tration (NHTSA) and will serve as a model for other communities nationwide. We work together with the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation, Health and Edu- cation, as well as the Pennsylva- nia Association of Colleges and Universities and the Higher Edu- cation Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention to com- prehensively address alcohol is- sues on college campuses. Following Bloomsburg in 1998, the PLCB formed a partnership with the Pennsylvania State Uni- versity (PSU) and awarded that institution $50,000 in grant mon- ies to establish and support com- munity coalitions in the munici- palities that are home to Penn State's 20 campuses, including State College. The PLCB/PSU Part- nership for Prevention recently held its second annual confer- ence in State College, which fea- tured some of the nation’s leading authorities on underage and binge drinking. The progress of the vari- ous coalitions was measured, and a wealth of accumulated data ex- changed. With the strong support of Governor Tom Ridge and First Lady Michele Ridge, we have also awarded mini-grants to over 35 other colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for the development of community coalitions and binge and underage drinking preven- tion programs in their communi- ties. Millersville University, Franklin & Marshall College and Mansfield University are examples of institutions where coalitions have been recently formed with the assistance of the PLCB. The PLCB pioneered thedevel- opment of the MinorChecker Sys- tem™, the nation’s first electronic scanning system, used to verify proof of age. Now the system and others like it are being used all across the United States and Canada in the prevention of un- derage drinking. Over the past several years, the PLCB has brought the Cops In Shops® pro- gram and Alcohol 101®, an inter- active CD aimed at educating col- lege students about the conse- quences of their alcohol-related choices, to the Commonwealth. In addition, the PLCB offers free server training to Pennsylvania liquor licensees, providing addi- tional tools for preventing service to minors. Because it is never too early to begin educating young people about the potential risks associ- ated with alcohol, the PLCB works closely with Pennsylvania schools. Elementary school children may receive a visit from our mascot L. C. Bee, who brings them coloring books, pencils, stickers, rulers, book covers and other reminders not to drink alcohol. Middle and high school students receive a more age appropriate message through the use of sports figures as role models and other more sophisticated mechanisms. Twice each year, the PLCB embarks on a statewide public service campaign, using radio, television and billboards to take our alcohol education and abuse prevention messages to the pub- lic. In the past, that message has targeted drinking drivers and underage drinkers, and stressed the need for parents to talk with their children about alcohol. Despite all of what we consider to be our good work, government alone cannot solve the problem of excessive alcohol consumption by our youth. Rather, we believe that everyone shares the responsibil- ity to prevent this behavior. The, long ignored problem has at last been recognized as one which presents our society with one of its greatest challenges. Parents, educators, law enforcement, li- quor licensees, our young people themselves, and yes, government, must continue to work together. I am confident that this collabora- tive effort cannot help but de- crease the plague of underage and binge drinking both in the Commonwealth and throughout the United States. John E. Jones Ill is Chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (oN VI YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Nov. 16, 1929 OLIVER'S GARAGE ADDS HARDWARE SUPPLY STORE In order to take care of hig newly added hardware depart- ment, James Oliver, local mer- chant and garage owner has com- pletely rearranged and redeco- rated the interior of his showroom in his garage on Main Street. Seeing the need of a good hard- ware store in this section and feeling people of this community would be benefited by an up-to, date store, with a complete line ol sporting goods, paints, carpen- ters’ and mason’ tools as well as household hardware, Oliver de- cided to enter the hardware busi- ness when the Dallas Hardware Co. closed its doors some weeks ago. 60 Years Ago - Nov. 17, 1939 LAING FIRE COMPANY WELL PREPARED FOR EMERGENCY A favorable report on the fire- fighting equipment of Dr. Henry M. Laing Fire Co. will be made to Dallas Council at its next meeting by W.L. Stephenson, engineer who yesterday completed a survey of the town’s protection against fire. 50 Years Ago - Nov. 18, 1949 LEGION POST 672 LIQUOR S LICENSE HELD UP AGAIN Although Judge Frank L. Pinola reversed the Liquor Control Board and ordered a club liquor license granted to Daddow-Isaac Post, American Legion for use in its proposed new home at Castle Inn, the board this week refused to grant the license when represen- tatives of the Legion appeared in Harrisburg for it. The board re- fused to take any action on thd license until the State Supreme Court finally decides whether pri- vate clubs are within the liquor quota law. You could get - Center cut pork chops, 49¢ lb.; hams, 49¢ lb.; Pillsbury’s Best Flour, 25 1b. bag, $2.09; bananas, 2 lbs. 29¢; sweet potatoes, . 3 lbs. 25¢; 2-1b. ring fruit cake; $1.75. 40 Years Ago - Nov. 19, 1959 5 STAR MANUFACTURING OPEN FOR BUSINESS Anew firm the 5 Star Manufac- turing Co. composed of young Scranton men have taken over the Post-O-Graf, Inc. machine shop in Trucksville and is already in production. Among the many items the firm manufactures are metal frames for display case and stove fixtures which are dis- tributed on a national scale. An anniversary with Special Features include Birthday cake, dancing, radio broadcasts, prizes and outstanding values the 1st Anniversary of the opening of Back Mountain's only Shopping Center in Shavertown will be appropri- ately celebrated this weekend wit a series of special events and bar- gains galore in the stores of particpating merchants. 30 Years Ago - Nov. 20, 1969 DAL TWP. ZONING TO RE- VIEW BRANDYWINE PLANS Construction on the first 40 units of what will eventually be a 150 unit planned residential de- velopment which will begin “as soon as the weather breaks” i approval is won from the Dallas Township Board of Supervisors project architect Peter Bohlin stated at a meeting of the township’s planning and zoning commission, Brandywine the name chosen for the development will be built in clustered units facing inward toward walled court- yards. 20 Years Ago - Nov. 15, 1979 DALLAS FAIR ASSOCIATION SELLING BONDS Alan Landis, chairman an- nounced this week that an expan- sion fund drive is underway by Dallas Area Fall Fair Association, the non-profit public service group which operates Luzerne County Fair for area charities. members of the board met last week andl announced the association is sell- ing $25,000 of debenture bonds to the public for the purpose of raising funds to purchase addi- tional 25 acres of land from Jo- seph Park Estate. The associa- tion is selling the bonds in amounts of $50, $100, $500 and $1,000 payable January 1, 1990. | ¢ ¢ Have a bright idea? Share it with your neighbors by writing to The Dallas Post. We welcome letters to the editor and longer pieces that may run as guest columns. Send yours to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612, or drop it off at our office at 607 Main Road, Dallas (across from Offset Paperback). Be sure to include your name, address and daytime phone number.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers