J 4 Dallas Post Dallas, PA May 30, 2001 EDITORIAL Get involved now if you care about Lake-Lehman taxes A committee of volunteers is conducting a grand experi- ment in the Lake-Lehman School District. The five people are looking into the possibility of shifting some of the tax burden for schools from property to income, which is con- sidered to be a more progressive scheme. The Pennsylvania Legislature created the opportunity for such a shift when it passed Act 50 of 1998. But the legislators didn’t make it easy to follow through from con- cept to execution. Still, it’s worth the effort to investigate alternatives to the present tax system, which becomes more inequitable each year Luzerne County fails to live up to its responsibility to assure fairness in taxation by reassessing property,something that hasn't happened for nearly 40 years. The best part of Act 50 is that it allows for, even de- mands, that everyone have a say in any proposed change through a referendum. That means voters in the district would have to approve a change before it could take ef- fect. Since the study committee has just begun its work, the earliest that could happen would be during the 2003 general election. In the meantime, Lake-Lehman parents and taxpayers would be wise to pay attention to the committee’s deliber- ations, and to participate when possible. The committee must wrap up its work within 90 days of its April 17 start, so there are still several weeks in which to learn about and add to the information they're turning up. Scouts could save lives The junior youth group of the Dallas United Methodist Church took a step toward protecting the lives of their neighbors with a recent project. The “Vial of Life” program encourages people to store vital health records in an easi- ly accessible location that is known to emergency person- nel. Youth group members distributed 500 Vial of Life kits to the congregation and others in the community who meet at the church. The kits are for use both at home and in a vehicle. An identifying decal informs rescue person- nel of participation, and the information kept in the vials helps them determine the proper medical treatment. The members of the group and their leaders have earned congratulations for taking the time and making the effort to provide a service that could save lives and preserve families. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek ¥ I've always been fascinated by the ebb and flow of traf- fic on interstate highways, and its mysterious ways were reinforced during a quick trip to Connecticut over the holiday weekend. Here are a few questions that remain unanswered after years of study. Why did the left lane, which was free of entering or exiting traffic, move the slowest through Waterbury? How do engineers decide that the most congested sec- tions of a highway need urgent repairs to begin just be- fore holiday weekends? At what point are we better off taking an abandoned dirt path through the woods in- stead of a shiny new five-lane interstate that is clogged with irritated travelers? And, of course, the big one: Why does the lane we've just worked into suddenly slow down, and all the cars that were behind us breeze by as if they're in the Indy 500? (XX J Well, my fellow Americans, it’s time to take the cham- pagne out of the closet and pop the cork. Happy days are almost here again, now that a whopping tax cut has been enacted. No more fears for the economy once those massive $300 and $600 rebate checks start arriving in people’s mailboxes. No sir, with cash in hand we'll no longer worry about whether there's a job for us on Mon- day morning, because we know that by following our leaders’ instructions to spend, spend and spend some more, the economy will be driven back to overheated health in no time. Why, next thing you know Alan Greenspan will again be talking down the high-flying stock markets, which will soar as we buy luxury cars, sailboats and mansions using our tax rebates as down payment. It's great to know that our government won't let con- cern about paying the bills later keep us from buying now. To do otherwise would be downright un-American, almost as bad as expecting the richest among us to give up some of the fiscal advantage they've gained just by being born. After all, wasn’t the nation built on the prin- ciple of inheriting great wealth, rather than working for it? The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL 18612 » 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER Ken Brocious ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Ron and Charlotte Bartizek PUBLISHERS EMERITUS Stephen Peterson PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 1-800-427-8649 Heather B. Jones REPORTER Ruth Proietto Production Manager Wor” ow id Spring showers fill Huntsville Creek. Photo by Jim Phillips. Donora Well, here it is — my last col- umn of the year. And what a year it has been. I will not dis- pute its difficulty; in fact, in all respects, 1 believe it has been my most challenging year,since many of these challenges I brought upon myself. 1 grew apart from a few friends, strug- gled with one of my more trou- blesome AP classes, and my par- ents and I argued more than ever before. Yet with all of that being said, there is really not one thing I would change. In retrospect (and, too, at the time of its occurrence), each struggle has been indicative of something greater, and applica- ble to the changes that have and will take place as I continue to evolve both mentally and physi- cally. From the loss of old com- panions has come the knowl- edge that I can and will estab- lish new relationships with the potential to last for a lifetime. From struggling in my class I Library News "THINK AUCTION" -- COMING JULY 5-8 The Auction Kick-Off Dinner will be held on Monday, June 4, at Pickett's Charge, Dallas, with cocktails from 6 to 7 and dinner at 7 p.m. It will be followed by a mini-auction. Tickets are $25 and are available from members of the Auction Committee and at the library. It is a fun occasion to benefit the Auction. Please get your reservations in to the li- brary by Friday, June 1st. The Auction Committee needs books, items for the Odds and Ends Booth, new goods dona- tions -- and volunteers! Sign up at the front desk for the assign- ment of your choice. Also there is an opening for one more 4-day An end, and a beginning learned of my strengths and weaknesses, the former being my love of, and hopefully talent for, the written word (not AP bi- ology); the latter being, admit- tedly, a tendency to theoretically throw my hands up in the air when I find I am not immediate- ly good at something. From ar- guing with my parents I realized my capacity for rebellion in both a positive and negative manner. No, I am not undeniably pre- pared to enter the world as a spiritual and financial indepen- dent, but I am trying. Mom and dad, all I can do is thank you for raising me to the best of your ability, and commend you for being patient and forthright, though at times I am sure that like me, you have found the in- ertia of responsibility difficult to accept. I often observe the thoughts and words of graduating high school seniors to have a similar tone. We are glad to be leaving, yet rueful at the prospect of let- ting go; we reflect upon the past and say, “Well, when one door closes another opens,” etc. Though I have always striven to sound ingenious and different, I find I beat roughly the same drum. But the writing itself, I suppose, is like a student body. We are all striving to find our craft vendor. Contact the li- brary at 675-1182. The Auction quilt, made by twenty ladies of the library, is now on display near the front desk. It is lovely. If you haven't yet decided to buy a $1 raffle ticket, come to see it -- it will persuade you to help the library by buying a ticket or two. The winning ticket will be drawn on Sunday evening, July 8. Auction bells are ringing at the library! Buy your paper bell for $1,sign it, and add it to the ever- growing collection hanging over the front desk to show support for the Auction. 3k ok ok ok ok ok ok ok dk kok "Animal Odyssy...make tracks to the library!" Pre-schoolers through sixth- graders are invited to join and participate in the summer read- ing program. Read six books, at your leisure, and take part in fun-filled activities and special programs. Track your reading on special game cards and win prizes! County-wide registration and a kick-off program will be held on Tuesday, June 19, in the Saxton Pavilion, Northampton St., Ed- wardsville. Registration begins own unique voice in a veritable sea of faces and names. We all beat the same drum, but the key, I think, is to find your own individualized rhythm. I leave high school with that knowledge, and so much more. On that note I move on to more ‘concrete matters. Lake- Lehman will hold its annual Moving Up Day, on which ju- niors symbolically replace the seniors, on June 6. Parents are welcome to attend, as outstand- ing upperclassmen will be given awards in certain categories of excellence. Class Night, a fun-filled evening of music and skits per- formed by participation seniors, will be June 7. And of course, commencement is June 8, be- ginning at 6 p.m. The ceremony will be held outside, weather permitting, and all are invited. Finally, I would like to thank everyone (especially Mrs. Sandra Weyman and Mr. Ronald Bar- tizek) who has given me the op- portunity to write and be read. I am still growing, obviously, and trying my best to improve my place in the hectic yet melodious world of the craft. But maybe one day you will see my face on a bookstore shelf, in addition to being in newsprint. Thanks again. at 10 a.m., followed by an inter- active play, "Pocohantas", by Kits Kaboodle at 10:30 a.m. Registration will continue in the Back Mountain Memorial Li- brary for the remainder of the week. The program runs until Friday, August 10. ok 3k ok ok ok ok ok ok ok kok ok ok Book discussion groups re- ported on the books that mem- bers recently read. The Monday morning group discussed Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Ris- es" at its last meeting for the season. It was agreed that this book, like all his others, was ba- sically autobiographical. He at- tributed his easy-to-read style -- groundbreaking in the 1920's -- to his brief stint as’ a cub re- porter at the Kansas City Star in 1917-18, which taught him to "use short sentences, short paragraphs, active verbs, au- thenticity, compression, clarity and immediacy”. His bigger- than-life heroics, his numerous marriages, exotic travels, and friendships with bohemian writ- ers and other famous people of the day are all reflected in his stories about the so-called Lost See LIBRARY, page 5 ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - May 29, 1931 OPENED NEW STORE AT HARVEY’S LAKE The American Stores Co. an- nounces the “opening” of a new grocery store and produce de- partment on the Dallas-Harvey's Lake road at the Inlet, Harvey's Lake. The establishment of an American store at Harvey's Lake will give residents of the resort and of the surrounding territory an opportunity to enjoy city ser- vice and a selection of groceries and fruits such as the resort has never before enjoyed. At Chasin’s Department Store, Luzerne, you could purchase ladies shantung dresses, $1.78 per dress; Porto Rican hand sewed night gowns, 33¢; ladies handkerchiefs, 2¢; summer bed- spreads, 78¢; turkish towels, 6¢; men’s shoes, work and dress, 88¢; men’s dress shirts, collar attached, 68¢. Luzerne County Odd Fellows’ Past Grands Association will conduct a field day at Fernbrook Park. Committees under Evan Challis are leaving nothing un- done for the entertainment of thousands. There will be base- ball games, a quoit tournament and a dance in the afternoon. 60 Years Ago - May 29, 1941 DALLAS POSTOFFICE GETS NEW RATING Postmaster Joseph Polacky re- ceived official notification this week from the United States Postoffice Department that the Dallas office has been advanced to second class rating effective A July 1. All clerks will be placed under civil service and certain windows at the office will be open during the sorting of mail. Shavertown Volunteer Fire- men are making plans for a public meeting of citizens of Shavertown and surrounding ar- eas to discuss ways and means of obtaining better fire protec- tion. They are undecided as to whether to rpurchase new fire fighting equipment or have a pumper installed on their pre- sent chemical truck for the cost of $500. Pauline Shaver was selected by Dallas Borough High School faculty, at a special meeting, as the senior student who has shown the most improvement during her high school course. gy The P. T. A. offers a prize of $2.50 to the boy or girl showing the most improvement each year. 50 Years Ago -June 1, 1951 BEAUTIFUL WEATHER PREVAILS AS THOUSANDS WITNESS PARADE A crowd of between forty and fifty thousand lined the parade route and jammed Wolfe's Grove on Memorial Day to see Rural Communities on Parade at Sweet Valley. For the fifth con- secutive year no rain fell. Since shipments of structural steel have been obtainable by Curtis Pethick Company, gener- al contractors, work has pro- gressed rapidly on Gate of Heav- en Parochial School building, on Machell Avenue, Dallas. All steel is in place, and brick laying is going forward fast. Plans call for classrooms with the outside walls almost completely glazed. Harold Souder, son of Mrs. Ellen Souder, and Herbert Brob- st, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Brobst, Dallas have enlisted in the Air Corps and are now sta- tioned at Sampson, N. Y., for@@ boot training. 40 Years Ago - June 2, 1961 LAKE-LEHMAN TEACHERS PRESENT SERVICE PINS TO RETIRING MEMBERS Four members of Lake- Lehman faculty, and one school nurse received service pins at a testimonial dinner at Irem Country Club. Those who re- ceived awards were: Mrs. Ellen Curtis; Mrs. Van- Campen, and Mrs. Alice Elston. Gifts were presented by Robert Belles, supervising principal in charge of elementary education; Anthony Marchakitis, high school principal; and Lester B. Squier, supervising principal. Mrs. William Simms; Arthur Curtis; Carrie Caperoon won the gas “© See ONLY YESTERDAY, page 5
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers