4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA December 13, 2000 l EDITORIALS Zoning proposals should spur us to pay attention If you've never bothered to look into the doings in your town, now might be a good time to start. A flurry of requests for zoning changes or variances are before local boards and bodies, most of them dealing with increased commercial space. The largest of the group will be heard Tuesday, Dec. 19 by the Dallas Township Board of Supervisors, at a meeting slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. It deals with a proposal that the entire former Yalick acreage near the intersection of Routes 415 and 118 be zoned B-4, General Business District. Presently, the land is a mix of agricultural, highway business and general business zones. Changing the zoning to B-4 would allow development of nearly any kind of retail or office space on the land, and would eliminate the need for the developer to come back to the township again and again as prospective tenants express interest. This may be a good thing for the township, or maybe it won't. The surest thing is that a decision of this magnitude should be made after the wishes of the populace, not just the land owner, are taken into account. But it's usually the case that few interested citizens bother even to learn about changes that could affect them deeply, then are only left to grouse about how powerless the feel in the face of big government and big money. ~ Anyone who lives in Dallas Township would be well-advised to show their face at next week’s meeting, and make known their feelings about this plan. And all of us throughout the Back Mountain need to keep a sharp eye out for changes that can affect our quality of life and our pocketbooks. School survey is good sign It’s quite rare that a public body in Northeastern Pennsylva- nia goes out of its way to find out what people think of its performance. You need look no further than the Luzerne County Courthouse for a prime example of elected and appointed officials ignoring the concerns of constituents and blithely going about their business without regard for the impact on the people who count on them to provide services efficiently. The Dallas School District appears to be taking a different approach, and is inviting comment about the kind of job it is doing. The school administration wasn’t satisfied after sending survey forms home with students, and has now posted a questionnaire on the Internet for use by residents of the district. It's available at www.dallassd.com. Look for the “District Wide” section, then click on “Community Survey.” Given all that is going on in the district now - with three construction and renovation projects either completed or pend- ing - it makes sense for every citizen to make their feelings: known. If you don’t have Internet access at home, you can stop by the Back Mountain Memorial Library and use the computers The Senior Side gg Jack Hilsher Whoever said laughter was the best medicine had it right. Laugh- ter stimulates lots of good stuff in humans. Always has. Always will. Before surgery jazz drummer A funny guy in the classic style One exception is Stephen Wright, who writes his own mate- rial. He has been called a genius, a “visionary” and once headlined with Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld. When George Carlin leaves Wright will inherit his crown. Slight of build, he stands qui- etly at the mike, delivering his mostly one-liners in a monotone, almost apologetically. He looks something like the guy next door, and sometimes a sly grin appears briefly, and you know he is having e If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of pay- ments. e Do married people live longer than single people, or does it just SEEM longer? e Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of a bottle? ¢ [ collect rare photos. I have two. One of Houdini locking his keys in his car, and the other is a rare photo of Norman Rockwell beat- ing up a kid. * A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. No e Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks. e Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. e Success always occurs in pri- vate and failure in full view. e Many people quit looking for work when they find a job. e How come “abbreviated” is such a long word? e Just think how deep the ocean would be if sponges didn't live there. e I went for a walk last night and N ® there to put in your two cents worth of comment, which are as yddy Rich was asked if he had a ball. I can see you need an e The sooner you fall behind the my kids asked me howlongI'dbe & valuable as anyone else’s. any allergies. His reply: “Yes, Iam introduction to Mr Wrightand his more time you'll have to catch up. ~ gone. I said, “The whole time.” | allergic to country-western mu- brand of humor, so a sampler of ¢ Plan to be spontaneous tomor- eI sat beside a beautiful blonde sic.” I tried that, also before sur- = his observations follows. Read row. on the bus and she was crying her gery, and the OR staff laughed so them slowly. Think about what 99% of all lawyers give theresta eyes out. I asked what was wrong . ' hard they cancelled my opera- you have just read. Laugh out bad name. and she said she did not bare her Publisher S notebook tion. loud (no internal chuckles please) ¢ Half the people you know are soul to strangers. I said, you can : : oo V No they didn’t. Just kidding. then become a Stephen Wright below average. tell me and maybe I can help. She . But having grown up listening to fan. * A fool and his money are soon said, “I need a man badly and my i Hope, Benny, Berle and Allen, I * What happens if you get half partying. therapist just told me he couldn't «3 found it easy to laugh. Today it's scared to death twice? e The problem with the gene pool help. My problem is I get turned « , » : oe , different - you have to be selective ~~ ®Ispilled spotremoveronmydog, is that there is no lifeguard. on only by Jewish cowboys. By Tou re ih asa as y ou fost i By Sn es ou I doomy with all those standup comics and now he’s gone. e If you must choose between two the way my name is Kim.” I re- OC @ Say Precis ya a bom In thegay Olwee you should CHECK. round. Some of them aren't e Borrow money from pessimists... - evils, pick the one you've never plied, “Nice to meet you Kim. I'm I've noticed lately there’s been a change in my general outlook. funny. Just dirty. they don’t expect it back. tried before. Bucky Goldstein.” It seems when we're young (or at least younger), feeling pretty ood is the norm. I recall being able to go out two or three oo ih nights in a row, and ei fine come Monday ONLY his S gh eer me Pa a 40 Years Ago - Dec. 15, 1960 ys 2 Yoni au Sosy en i i ; ~ + YOUTH HURT WHEN HOME- A morning. Now, a single evening of too much food and drink, and YESTERDAY bear earlier this season. He said would return the next day with its three days of recovery. In fact, it dawned on me recently that he liked the meat from both ani- MADE ROCKET EXPLODES the money. When workers showed the days I feel really good now stand out because they're the mals. “Anybody that doesn’t like George Layou, 15, asophomore up at the farm that morning, the exception, not the rule. When did this happen? 1 don’t remember bear meat, never tasted it,” he at Westmoreland High School, truck and trees were gone. | any warning signs of this change, and I don't like it. said. ; suffered injuries to his hand and The Lake-Lehmanschoolboard ¢ (§ Don’t get me wrong, despite an assortment of ailments and Mrs. Ruth Daniels was the fea- ‘forehead in the explosion of Sd turned down a request from the rT : : : ¥ Cn tured speaker at a supper meet- homemade rocket he and his Lehman taxpayers association to conditions, 1 like to think I nm more of a “30 something than a ing for the leaders, executivecom- brother, Donald, 11, and William put the question of a new elemen- 50 something” most of the time. Then I realize that I've been ; mittee and auxiliary of the Dallas Kingsbury, had made. filling an tary school on a referendum bal- fooling myself - I'm not 30 any more! How do I know, you ask. 70 Years Ago - Dec. 12, 1930 District Girl Scouts. Mrs. George empty CO2 cartridge with 300 lot. Thomas Rupe and Malcolm f Well, there's the need for Tylenol (or generic acetaminophen for BOYS HURT WHEN Metz presided at the business match heads. Heffernan appeared before the | less money, frugality being another sign of the aging process) session, before Mrs. Daniels spoke For the second consecutive board tomaketherequest. School | after a round of golf. Another symptom is those visits to the TRAIN STRIKES CAR about crafts in relation to badge week, fire broke out at an area director Dr. Carl Kern pointed out bathroom in the middle of the night, which are wholly unneces- Sor Dgivon, adi work [re palit asec the riced fora newischool. SAY In someone the age I think I am. Eyeglasses? I humor 17, of Dallas, were badly injured 50 Years Ago - Dec. 15, 1950 driven from their home at about 20 Years Ago - Dec. 18, 1980 myself with the reminder that some people need correction hen the car they were in was 11 a.m. when Mrs. Georgia A when they're in grade school, so it’s no big deal. struck by a light engine at the DALLAS, KINGSTON Besecker noticed a haze inside DALLAS CHEERLEADERS v - I'm not giving up, you understand. Instead, I've decided to D.L.&W. crossing at Union St. in SCHOOLS PLAN TO JOIN the home. A check of the base- WINCYCTITLE ignore the four or five days a week when I'd just as soon take a nap as go skiing, and focus on the day or two when I'm ready to take on the world, or at least the neighborhood. You'll be able to tell which those are because my eyes will be open more than a crack. Send or bring your items to: The Dallas Post, P.0. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 or drop them off at our office at 607 Main Road, Dallas. Deadline: Fridays at 4 p.m. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER TY NEWSPAPER GROUP 570-675-5211 Julie Imel EDITOR Elizabeth Skrapits REPORTER Kingston. They were taken to Nes- bitt West Side Hospital where their condition was called favorable. Witnesses said they heard no sound of an approaching train, and traffic was not stopped at the crossing. Thirty hopefuls showed up at the Dallas High School gym for practice of the Kingston Town- ship High School boys’ basketball team. Coach is Ralph Hazletine, who said seven members of last: year's team turned out. A girls’ team, under coach Prof. Gordon Gregory, is also practicing. 60 Years Ago - Dec. 13, 1940 Alva Eggleston, of Vernon, shot School directors of Kingston Twp. and Dallas Borough agreed informally to a tentative plan to combine the schools, with the Kingston Township High School serving older students and all el- ementary grades in the Dallas Borough school. The hope was to begin the new arrangement in September. | The community tree was to be a casualty of a recent storm. A blue spruce that was felled in Arlean Bowman's yard was to be placed near the war memorial, and decorated by Girl Scouts. Af- ter decorating, the scouts will be entertained by Mrs. Stanley Davies. sory Board for the Salvation Army. ment revealed thick smoke and an ominous glow. After calling for the fire department, she gathered up her children, James III, John and Laura and tried to take them by car to a neighbor’s home, only to end up stuck in a drift left by a large snowstorm the day earlier. Fire crews from throughout the Back Mountain responded, in- cluding the James Besecker Jr. 30 Years Ago - Dec. 17, 1970 TREES STOLEN FROM NESBITT FARM William Casey of Bridgeport, CT, has been charged with steal- tobuy the trees, which were loaded The Dallas High School cheer- leaders, coached by Mrs. Carole Morris and Mrs. Maryann Storz, won the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center Cheerleading Com- petition. Mrs. Carol Hart, a judge, described the local squad as “dy- namic, impressive, incredible and gratifying to watch.” Members of the Dallas Ameri- can Legion Daddow-Isaacs Post honored Steve Tkach for his 60 years of service as a Legionnaire. The Back Mountain Cultural Center announced its slate of fu- ture events, which included a children’s party at Penn State, tobogganing at Eagle's Mere, a dinner theater and spring classes. Jerry Ross, Shavertown. ing 146 Christmas trees from the ALVA EGGLESTON BAGS Durelle Scott Jr. succeeded Nesbitt Tree Farm at Lake Cat- There was also to be a Backgam- P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 EIGHTH STRAIGHT DEER Reed Travis as head of the Advi- alpa. Police said Casey arranged mon Club, under the tutelage of ) i LEGISLATORS DIRECTORY | Federal Officials # 400M, 7 N. Wilkes-Barre Bivd., Scranton: 344-8799 Representative Paul E. Wilkes-Barre PA 18702 Washington: (202) 224-6324 | Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER Ken Brocious ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC e-mail: senator_specter @specter.senate.gov Kanjorski or 2353 Rayburn Building, Wash- 116 South Main Street, Wilkes- Fax: (202) 228-4991 | Ronald and Charlotte Bartizek (Democrat) ington, DC 20515 Barre PA 18701 e-mail: | PUBLISHERS EMERITUS Senator Arlen Specter or 711 Hart Senate Office Bldg., senator @santorum.senate.gov Wilkes-Barre: 825-2200 Washington, DC 20510 527 Linden St., Scranton, PA Washington: (202) 225-6511 (Republican) ; a e-mail: gage Wilkes-Barre: 826-6265 Senator Rick Santorum Joa sel Senate Office Bld a ha paul.kanjorski@hr.house.gov Washington: (202) 224-4254 (Republican) Wesnirgton. DC 20510 g. (
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers