4 Dallas Post Dallas, PA February 28, 2001 EDITORIALS Next step for Nextel should be cooperation The Kingston Township Board of Supervisors has done the right thing in rejecting a request from Nextel Partners to con- struct a wireless communications tower in Shavertown. At a [EEEEG_—G—_—G—_G series of meetings held by the township planning commis- sion, it became obvious that Nextel was not prepared to fulfill the requirements of the township's ordinances regarding these facilities. Nextel witnesses admitted that they hadn't fully examined alternatives and it was apparent that their construction plans weren't well developed. Perhaps the com- pany figured it could steamroll opponents in a little country town; it has found out differently. Wireless communications are here to stay, and offer significant benefits to consumers. Cellular telephones allow us to keep in touch with family members, friends and business associates while traveling, and are valuable when emergencies strike. But, just as other businesses must comply with local ordinances, so must Nex- tel and its brethren. While they would like us to believe the Telecommunications Act of 1996 gives them special privi- leges, it does not supersede the authority local governments use to protect the life and property of citizens. We hope in- stead of challenging the supervisors’ proper ruling, Nextel will take seriously its obligation to seek a more appropriate loca- tion for its antennae, and will do so in the spirit of coopera- tion that might have avoided this costly confrontation in the first place. Help Scouts help the hungry Despite its relative affluence, the Back Mountain is still a place where some of our neighbors go to bed hungry. It is to help them, and others like them around northeastern Penn- sylvania, that Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be collecting food March 3. Last year Scouts brought in more than 200,000 pounds of non-perishables to food banks and shel- ters throughout the region. This year they distributed door hangers in local neighborhoods last Saturday, and will return this Saturday to pick up donations. When you go shopping this week, pick up a few extra items that can help fill empty stomachs, especially those of children who make up a large percentage of the people who are helped by this kind of effort. Publisher’s Notebook If we missed you, we’ll make 1t up You know that old saying about having egg on your face, offered when you've done something embarrassing? Well, if it was applied to us last week, we would have fallen into a vat of scrambled jumbos. As most of you know, the Post had some delivery problems last week. Well, not just some, but a lot of them. ; For the most part, the wounds were self-inflicted, and de- spite the best efforts of the helpful crew at the Dallas Post Office, many of you didn’t receive a paper anywhere near on time. i Many of you called, and we're thankful you were remark- ably polite, although firm in your desire to have the Post de- livered when you expect it. Your expectation is entirely rea- sonable. I'm not sure why the papers were delayed last week, and I suspect you don't really care at this point, you just want your Post. We think we've solved the problem, but want to make up for past sins, so please give us a call at 675-5211 and tell us so that we can make it right. We'll add to your subscription the number of weeks your paper was late or didn’t arrive, plus an extra one to make up for the additional cost of picking up a copy at the newsstand. Thank you very much for your patience, and for your feed- back. We're flattered that the Post is important enough that you are disappointed when it doesn’t arrive, but we don't want to test your loyalty any further. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news A: Only in The Dallas Post The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL A 18612 * 570-675-5211 Julie D. Imel EDITOR Ken Brocious ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. REPORTER Ruth Proietto Produciton Manager Ron and Charlotte Bartizek PUBLISHERS EMERITUS Stephen Peterson PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 1-800-427-8649 Resting in winter peace in Lehman. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. What's on the Horizon? ANS RA GF TT The newly-formed “All Aboard” Committee for the restoration of the Noxen railroad depot wants your input. They have called a public meeting for Wednesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Noxen United Methodist Church. This will be the first of- ficial step in a feasibility study funded by the Endless Mountain Heritage Region and the PA De- partment of Conservation and Natural Resources. This grant of $18,000 to the North Branch Land Trust (NBLT) must be matched by $6,000 raised local- ly ($1,000 of that is already in hand). But, you ask, why the sudden effort to save a broken-down building in a rather out-of-the- way community? According to architect = Margaret Bakker, “Noxen’s classic depot is more characteristic of its cousins in ‘central New York State than those in Pennsylvania along the Bowman's Creek Line” and it is hik CEPORT TO RUOTOHE OUR » \ mm LIOXIN DEPOT PONIRIBUTE OR VOLUMIELD Ea. (070) bi § AA ETN IATA The All-Aboard Committee. Standing from left are: Chas Mead, Jeff Pauley, Harry Traver, Dave Dembowski, Margaret Bakker, Rob Lewis, Larry Newman, and Matt McCormack. Seated are: Linda Thoma, Mitch Rowland, Josh Longmore, Greg Montross, and Doug Ayers. Missing from photo are John Reddy, Dorne White and Dawn Traver. “one of only three of its type still standing.” It was built in 1893 and served the Lehigh Valley Railroad for almost 80 years. It is now owned by David and Elaine Dembowski who have generously pledged to donate the building and the plot of land surrounding it to NBLT if the building will be restored and maintained for public use. The old Bowman's Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad served a' multitude of: purposes. It was originally part of a system of rail lines intended to carry coal from the Wyoming Valley to New York State. How- ever, the ice, lumber and tan- ning industries were also served by this railroad. Agriculture also benefited, as did the many peo- ple who lived and worked along the rails. It is the goal of the All Aboard Committee to preserve some of the rich history of this area as well as to provide a meeting place and focal point for ‘All Aboard’ for the Noxen station the Noxen community. The All Aboard Committee is an advisory committee formed to get this project underway. Mem- bers include Doug Ayers (NBLT President and the originator of this idea), Mitch Rowland (con- tractor), Rob Lewis and Margaret Bakker (architects), Larry New- man (planner), Linda Thoma (NBLT executive director), John Reddy and Dorne White (NBLT board members), Greg Montross (Noxen Township Supervisor), Chas Mead (Wyoming County Planning Commission), Josh Longmore (Wyoming County Conservation District) and Nox- en residents Dave Dembowski, Matt McCormack, and Harry and Dawn Traver. So, please come to the public meeting Wednesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Noxen United Methodist Church and find out how you and your friends can be- come a part of this exciting com- munity venture. If you cannot make it to the meeting and would like to contribute matching funds or have other items or ideas that the committee would find useful, please contact Linda Thoma, North Branch Land Trust execu- tive director, at (570)696-5545. Together we can make the Noxen Depot hum again. ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - Feb 27. 1931 DROUGHT STILL HOLDS ITS GRIP Many farmers still have to haul water for their livestock and there seems to be little hope for better water conditions until after the spring thaws. The State Department of Health has issued a warning to all persons using wells and springs that have been dry dur- ing the winter, that water now coming in them is surface water and none of it should be used for cooking or drinking until it has been boiled for a period of at least five minutes. At American Stores Co. you could get coffee, .25 a can, large can of peaches .16 a can, fancy red salmon .21 a flat can, Camp- bell’s tomato soup 3 cans for .25, Campbell's asparagus soup .10 a can, Lifebuoy health soap, 3 cakes for .19, Tetley teas 1/4 Ib. pkg. for .23. Lehman girls defeated the Kingston township girls at Lehman with a score of 81-7. Lehman used several substi- tutes during the last half of the game. Lehman boys lost to Trucksville boys by a score of 48-55. Lehman boys defeated Noxen boys at Laketon. Score was 37-16. 60 Years Ago - Feb. 28, 1941 FEW EARLY RISERS SEE ARMY CONVOY Few local persons were on the streets as Capt. Larry Lee of Battery B and his convoy of 12 trucks and artillery pieces passed through Dallas from Tunkhannock to the 109th Regi- ment Armory in Kingston. He had made arrangements to route his heavily loaded trucks through Dallas so that local resi- dents might have an opportunity to see a part of the regiment de- part for Fort Indiantown Gap. Eddie Wallo, Huntsville box- er, returned from the British Gloves Boxing Tournament held in Binghamton, N. Y., for the War Relief Fund. In addition to a new set of boxing gloves, new punching bag and $20 worth of merchandise donated by Bing- hamton merchants, Eddie also brought along a crown of roses. Enrollment in National De- fense shop classes which are be- ing held five nights a week at Lehman and Dallas Township schools have exceeded all expec- tations. Classes have been limit- ed to 20 students at Lehman and 25 at Dallas Township. Be- cause neither school has facili- ties nor the instructors to han- dle larger classes, authorities at Dallas are seeking approval to open another class in wood- working and metal work. - 50 Years Ago - Mar. 2, 1951 QUICK SAND HALTS CONSTRUCTION Quick sand, 74 feet deep, has temporarily halted construc- tion of Commonwealth Tele- phone Company's new office building on Lake Street. “Test boring”, Albert Glahn, superin- tendent in charge said, “failed to show the presence of quick sand, but we've run into plenty of it. “Nobody would have fore- seen it in this location. Sordoni Construction is not the first to strike difficulty with quick sand in the Lake street area, L. L. Richardson ran into it when he was construction the new addi- tion to his building. Five petitions for establish- ment of a kindergarten to open next fall in the joint district of Kingston Township-Dallas Bor- ough, are being circulated under the chairmanship of Mrs. Charles Eberle. A petition was circulated at a joint meeting of Shavertown and Trucksville Grade schools PTA held at Kingston Township High School. Dallas Township girls won the Back Mountain League championship for the second year in a row by defeating Lake- ton 38-36 on Kingston Township floor. Laketon won the first half of League play and Dallas breezed through the second half undefeated necessitating the playoff. 40 Years Ago - Mar. 2, 1961 SENIOR BAND MEMBERS WIN SWEATERS Lake-Lehman Band Spon- sors awarded sweaters to senior members of the Band. During the past year, Band Sponsors have raised money through vari- ous sales. This money, in addi- tion to the amount needed for purchase of sweaters for boys and girls who are playing their last season with the band, has been used to buy Kettle drums and other band instruments. George Jacobs, Pennsylva- nia winner in the recent Voice of Democracy contest for high school students, was accorded the honor or laying the wreath on the tomb of George Washing- ton, the only student permitted to enter through the grilled iron doorway which bars visitors from the resting lace of the Fa- ther of his Country. Two women Marines from the Back Mountain, both West- moreland girls, have completed four weeks of intensive training in the General Office Procedure Course at Parris Island, S. C. Pvt: Florence J. Hilgert is daugh- ter of Mrs. Ruth Hilgert, Trucksville. Pvt. Mabel L. Jones is daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Owen M. Jones, Dallas. 30 Years Ago - Mar. 4, 1971 TWO NEWSPAPERS INTRODUCED TO AREA The Gator News and the Messenger are school newspa- pers which began publication re- cently. The Gator News is writ- ten and edited by the Gate of Heaven School in Dallas. A sec- ond edition is approximately 8 pages, was printed by hand and then run off on a ditto machine. Painstaking efforts have gone into each issue. The staff in- cludes Stephen Dudek as editor, Mary Jessop as assistant editor. and James Bolger as sports edi- tor, and at least 17 reporters. The Junior Mounts’ Messenger is published by the Dallas Ju- nior High School and has a staff of 56 students with Cindy Bu- can as editor and Brenda Bloomer and George Otto as as- sistant editors. The first edition contained 6 pages. The Eastern Editor of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine See ONLY YESTERDAY, pg 5 i»
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers