4 The Dallas Post ~~ Dallas, PA = Wednesday, September 13, 2000 EDITORIALS Public, board members need accurate information The time has come for administrators in the Lake-Lehman School District to clearly inform the public about the state of the district's finances. In fact, it’s time all nine school directors had a clear look at the district's books, if only to clear the air of suspicion that something could be amiss. At the Sept. 7 school board meeting, it was pointed out that the district's fund balance — it’s savings account — was listed as $3.9 million on a recent treasurer's report, but as $1.8 million on a report sent to Harrisburg. In light of the district's construction plans, which will cost more than $11 million, “We have to start making decisions based on sound financial information,” said Angelo DeCesaris, a board member elected last November. That sounds like a very reasonable statement, and one the district's leaders should take seriously. Most of them surely understand the need to share accurate informa- tion with the men and women who hold the district's purse strings. An exception seems to be Kathleen Williams, the business manager, who is unwilling to discuss district business with anyone outside her office. Her curt responses when asked for clarification on budget issues are matched by her refusal to answer requests from this newspaper for information about the budget and building projects. By ducking the press, Ms. Williams is in effect shutting the people who pay her salary out of the process by which Lake-Lehman’s schools are supported. This is not a new problem, but it has grown worse in recent years. By continuing to treat school directors and the public with thinly-veiled contempt, Ms. Williams is fueling suspicions that she is hiding something, a feeling that undeservedly rubs off on the entire administration. We hope the board's recent action to remove Ms. Williams as school board secretary has gotten her attention. | In American democracy, nothing succeeds like openness. It’s time for the Lake-Lehman business office to conform to that ideal. Publisher's notebook This year’s Presidential race is shaping up as one of the most evenly matched in many years, with a newly-populist Al Gore giving the aw-shucks George W. Bush a run for his money that was unimaginable just a few weeks ago. Polling results vary, but when they're all taken together suggest something of a . “statistical dead heat,” as the pundits like to say. Never mind Mark Twain's famous quote about there being “lies, damned lies and statistics.” The contest is said to be even only when potential voters, and anyone able to say “yes,” or “no,” in something approximating English is counted. Rather than taking comfort in their sup- posed parity, though, the candidates are concerned and per- plexed about a huge gender gap in the polling data. It seems that Gore, even though he’s buffed and polished like a body- builder and actually served in the military, is trailing badly among men, while Bush, the son of the beloved Barbara, is a bust with women. While the Beltway crowd thinks this imbal- ance is a big mystery, I believe it’s easily explained. First, Dubya’s lead with men. This one’s obvious. There are still more than enough guys who get their mords wixed, wish they owned a baseball team and have a tendency to drink too much to tip the balance his way. That's not to mention dreaming of a chance to make millions without really working for it, as W reputedly did in buying and selling the Texas Rangers baseball team largely because of his family name. What's surprising to the Beltway crowd is that this guy, who is touted as laid back and mellow, doesn’t do better with women, who in this day and age are supposed to like a big pussycat who defers to mom and dad. As for AlGore and women - hey, for all his bluster, the guy's a teddy bear who makes the right noises on women’s issues. Plus, he never complains that Tipper’s tipping the scales a little too much, and he’s too lost in the minutae of policy to get in the way in the kitchen. I'm sure we'll read more stories about out of kilter polling data among minorities, youth, seniors, people with two or more earrings, NASCAR fans etc., etc., etc. But in the end only one poll will count, and it won't come out until it’s too late for the image masters to make adjustments. Do you agree? Disagree? Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post. We welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612, fax them to (570) 675-3650 or send them by e-mail to dalpost@aol.com. Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. We do not publish anonymous letters, but will consider withholding the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar. The Dallas Post | Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 570-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Ken Brocious : ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Bill Goodman REPORTER Joanna Cease OFFICE/TYPIST/CLASSIFIEDS Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER vd PRINTED WITH PENNSYLVANIA SOY IN K = Member NEWSPAPER An American tradition at the Luzerne County Fair. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. LETTERS | Editor, On behalf of The Luzerne County Fair Committee I would like to say from the bottom of our collective hearts thank you to all who attended and to all our vol- unteers. To the public, thank you for coming. We hope you had a good time and really enjoyed yourself and our new improvements. We hope to see you back next year. To our volunteers who work year round, thank you for giving ~somuch of your time. To over 500 volunteers who work just before and during the fair, you are the Library news i Carol King Children’s library The Fall Story Hour for toddlers has been filled. There are spaces left in the three groups for 3-5-year-olds, which will meet from October 4 to December 6. The groups meet at 9:30t010:30a.m., 10:45to 11:45 a.m., and 1 to 2 p.m. To enroll your child, call the library at 675- 1182: Librarian's report The library has two new staff members, heart and the core of our being without you we could not do this great event. So no matter how much we thank you to all our volunteers it cannot be enough. To our vendors, we hope our fair was profitable for you and we will see you again next year and many, many more years. To our regional entertainment. Your contribution was first-rate as always. We enjoy showing your special talents to the fair goers. You filled our new Com- munity Stage with great talent and sounds. We know there is great talent in Northeast Pennsyl- Few spots left for Fall Story Hours * Cynthia Katyl in cataloguing (see notes about her, below) and Edith Collins at the front desk in the evenings. Martha Butler will be attend- ing three software training work- shops this week at the Osterhout Library. She will also attend the Pennsylvania Library Association Conference on September 24 and 25 in Lancaster, PA. Statistics for the month of Au- gust: total circulation, 8,073; books added, 187; new borrow- ers, 98; active borrowers, 13,124. New staff member Cynthia (Cindy) Katyl is a native of New Jersey and met her husband Bill when she was attending College Misericordia. They have three sons, Aaron, 19, a student at Susquehanna University; Mat- vania and you have proven this time and again. To the livestock people, the barns looked great and filled to capacity. You have done a prime task again. We really appreciate this especially with all the diffi- culties family farmers have today. To our service clubs and non- profit organizations, thank you for being there. We know you worked hard and hope everything went for the best for your organi- zation. : To the media what can I say, you out did yourself with skycam, all the weathermen, and journal- thew, 15, a sophomore at Wyo- ming Seminary; and Christopher, 14, a freshman at Sem. All three sons were Cub and Boy Scouts and played ice hockey, and Cindy was very much involved with both activities. The whole family is happy to have the Penguins in the area. Bill has been a hockey official for 23 years, and is now an off-ice official for the Penguins. Cindy has also been a part- time independent sales consult- ant for Longaberger Baskets sinc 1998. : Book Store Ruth Tetschner announces that the Book Store is back on its regular schedule: Monday and Wednesday, 1 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fair organizers issue generous thanks to volunteers, visitors ists covering our fair. You made it great, especially opening night, we were thrilled to have so many and so much publicity. A special thank you to WBRE; you were here morning, noon and night covering The Luzerne County Fair. To all who participated in The Luzerne County Fair, each of yous are one in a million. We hope to see you again next year for fair 2001 September 5 through 9. Donna Cupinski 2000 Fair Chairman Susan Stephens Public Relations Director Golf tournament The fourth annual Par 4 Classic, for the ben- efit of the Back Mountain Memo- rial Library, will be held on Mon- day, Oct. 16, at the Irem Temple Country Club. There will be a 12 noon shotgun start. Aladies divi- sion may be formed if there is enough interest. If you have a¥ foursome, call Moose at 829-3011. The entry fee of $100 per per- son includes cart, greens fees, refreshments, dinner, and lots of great prizes. The first hole-in-one on ‘hole #7 wins a sunroom do- ' nated by Bittner and Company. Sign up early — the tournament is limited to the first 128 paid applicants. You may pick up and) entry form at the library or at Moose’s Par 4 Cafe, 128 Parrish St., Wilkes-Barre. ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Sept. 13, 1930 POST HIRES NEWS EDITOR The Dallas Post hired its first full time news editor to give the paper a better opportunity to thor- oughly cover the news of the Back Mountain. Howell E. Rees, who was previously employed by the Wilkes-Barre Record, decided to join the Post staff so that he could get a well-rounded experience in all phases of newspaper work. The staff now consisted of six men, all of whom resided in the Back Mountain. 60 Years Ago - Sept. 13, 1940 FAITH IS 5 YEARS OLD Faith Hope Charity Harding celebrated her fifth birthday on an estate in North Carolina where she and her mother had moved two months earlier, after their Trucksville home had been turned into a shrine by Faith's followers. In honor of Faith, her followers had dedicated a chapel on the estate. The new colony, known as the Cross and Circle Foundation, centered around Faith, who had been called "The Little Prophet" by her followers who claimed she could foretell future events. Ar- ticles about Faith began to ap- pear in spiritualist magazines and soon the daily press came across the story, and the Harding home in Dallas became a mecca for reporters, investigators and curi- ous onlookers. At the age of 5, Faith had scrapbooks filled with more newspaper and magazine publicity than most people accu- mulate in their entire lives. 50 Years Ago - Sept. 15, 1950 IREM TEMPLE EXPANDS George R. Taylor and Sons, Forty Fort, were awarded the gen- eral contract for $30,000 worth of improvements to be made at the Irem Temple Country Club. The changes would increase the seat- ing capacity of the dining room from 325 people to 425. Addi- tional heating and lighting facili- ties were also scheduled to be constructed. The contract called for a 15 x 60 foot addition to the present dining room. Folding partitions would enable the en- larged room to be separated into two smaller dining rooms when needed. Now playing at Himmler The- atre, "Annie Get Your Gun" star- ring Betty Hutton and Howard Keel. 40 Years Ago - Sept. 15, 1960 RAVE'S OPEN THIRD GARDEN CENTER Robert and Louis Rave opened their third Garden Center oppo- site the Mid-Way Shopping Cen- ter, in Wyoming. Since beginning their business in Dallas in 1950, the Rave brothers had continu- ally expanded, opening their Gar- den Centers in Shavertown in 1951, and Clarks Summit in 1957. Many of their shrubs were grown on their own land, and they had become the largest rose dealers in the state. Dallas Borough Police made nine- teen arrests for traffic law infrac- tions in August. Sixteen were for running a red light; one for im- proper passing; one for reckless driving; and one for driving too fast for conditions. 30 Years Ago - Sept. 17, 1970 EXPLOSION CAUSES FIRE AT PLANT An explosion in a 600-gallon fuel tank set of a fire at Parry Asphalt Company.in Dallas Town- ship. The explosion created flames said to be several hundred feet high. The fire was contained in a small area of the plant. Destroyed in the blaze were the tank, a fuel . pump, electrical wires and mo- tors near the tank. A storage area for asphalt sustained some dam- age. Owner Dale Parry, estimatedgl) that the damage caused by the fire at the 25 year old plant was S500. You could get: Fireside sliced bacon, 11b. pkg., 69¢; pork chops, 65¢/1b.; MacIntosh apples, 3 lb. bag, 39¢; Oreos, 1 lb. 3 oz. bag, 89¢; Awake, breakfast drink, 9 oz. can, 27¢; Ivory soap, 2 10 oz. bars, 39¢; Biz laundry powder, ‘9 1b. 9 oz. pkg. 75¢; Spic and Span cleaner, 1 1b. pkg. 29¢; Downey fabric softener, 1 qt. bottle, 79¢. 20 Years Ago - Sept. 11, 1980 NEONATAL UNIT AT NESBITT A Neonatal Special Care Unit was established at Nesbitt Memo- rial Hospital. The objective of the Unit was to provide care to babies who required more than roulinegy nursery care. The equipment and specially trained personnel, orga- nized under the direction of the . Department of Pediatrics, would be used to assist the more criti- cally ill babies with breathing support, maintenance of safe body temperature, and constant moni- toring of critical vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. If you missed The Post, you missed the Best News in the Back Mountain!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers