L Dallas, Pennsylvania The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 January 31 to February 6, 2002 United We Stand Vol. 113. No. 5 50 Cents SCHOOL Jennifer Feher wins RIF poster contest. Pg 12. COMMUNITY Atty. William Anzalone elected presi- dent of Law and Library Ass’n. Pg 5. WALTERS SPORTS David Walters named soccer All-American, best in PA. Pg 9. Firefighters erepare gift for NYC brothers J Fund proceeds, aque will be delivered soon By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent DALLAS TWP. — Local fire- fighters are showing solidarity th their counterparts in New york City who were devastated by the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. The Back Mountain Firemen'’s Association (BMFA) recently un- veiled a plaque they prepared for the New York City Fire Depart- ment. The plaque lists the names and department num- bers of the 15 local companies that are members of the associ- jon. It also contains a poem entitled “The Final Call,” written "by Frank Lutinski of Harveys Lake. “I wrote this poem a few years ago and had it copyrighted in 1995,” said Lutinski, vice-presi- dent of the Firemen’s Associa- tion. “I adapted it a little bit for “use on this plaque for the New = Fire Department.” - The local companies decided in October to start a fund for the New York firefighters. “We have a few thousand dollars in it now,” said Jack Dodson, associ- ‘ation president. “We'd really like to add to it before the presenta- tion.” The BMFA officers will person- ally present the fund and the plaque to the New York depart- ent in March. They are plan- lng to charter a bus so that other members of the associa- tion can travel with them. “We want people to know that 100 percent of the money collected will be given to the NYFD for their benefit,” said Dodson, who is the fire chief in Kunkle. Donations can be sent to Dan Manzoni, BMFA treasurer and e chief in Jackson Township. Checks can be made out to BMFA, with a notation on the memo line for NYFD, and mailed to RR 2 Box 252 B, Dallas, PA See FIREFIGHTERS, pg 3 Volunteers %lways welcome By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent alas TWP. — The New ork tragedy of September 11 didn’t help to swell the ranks of volunteers for 15 local fire and ambulance companies. Each and every one of the local mem- bers present .at a recent plaque unveiling ceremony expressed the need for more volunteers who are willing to work. “There is always a place for everyone,” said Jack Dodson, in of the Back Mountain fremen’s Association. “No mat- ter how young or old or whether male or female, there is a job for them to do.” Fire and ambulance compa- nies always need trained per- sonnel to man the equipment and to answer emergency calls. But, in addition to those well- known duties, they need help @n fund-raising and organiza- See VOLUNTEERS, pg 3 Dancin’ queen POST PHOTO/TIMOTHY J. RAUB Rachel Buckman, 9, of Shavertown, shows off her authentic Irish garb, which was part of her talent, Irish step dancing, at the Gate of Heaven School Annual Variety Show. Buckman is a member of the Emerald Isle Dancers. More photos on page 4. Cae S. JOHN WILKINS/FOR THE DALLAS POST Larry Pedersen displays some of the plants he has found in Central America. The chemistry professor spends his summers scouring tropical forests in search of new medicines. School districts face hike in pension costs By ELIZABETH ANDERSON Post Correspondent BACK MOUNTAIN - First, there was a rash of tax reassess- ments, causing financial woes for area school districts. Now due to an increase in school em- ployees’ pension rates and the downturn in the stock market, districts are facing large and un- expected contributions to the Public School Employees Retire- ment System Fund for the 2002- 2003 fiscal year. Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts are being asked to pay $240,000 and $270,000, respectively, to the retirement fund and may have to scramble to find the funds. Neither dis- trict will know the final damage until budget time comes around in the spring. “It would depend on how fis- cally prudent we are and where some of the dollars are coming from to offset this,” said Dr. Gilbert Griffiths, superintendent of Dallas School District. Last year the employer contri- bution rate was 1.09 percent; for this fiscal year it is 5.64 percent of the salary budget. According to Kathleen Williams, business manager at Lake-Lehman School District, the district owed $132,314 for the 2001-2002 fis- cal year, with the Common- wealth picking up half that tab at $66,110. This year, at the higher rate, the Lake-Lehman district will be paying an esti- mated $271,450 of $542,900. “This is an increase of over $200,000 to the district,” Williams said. The employer contribution rate had been steadily decreas- ing over the last decade, from a rate of 19.68 percent in 1990, due to the healthy economy and the strength of the stock mar- ket. However, with the downturn See PENSIONS, pg 7 Shopping center getting long-needed facelift BY TIMOTHY J. RAUB Post Staff SHAVERTOWN r— Jay Humphrey, owner of Humphrey's Bootery, could not be more pleased with his land- lord's progress with renovation efforts at the Back Mountain Shopping Center. Humphrey's store has been in the shopping center since it opened in 1958, and this is the first major renovation in that time. “We are thrilled,” saidr Humphrey. “It will be a big change to drive along the high- way and see the new look to the shopping center.” The shopping center's owner Attorney Allan Reishtein, said renovations to the canopy alongs the front of the shopping center See SHOPPING CENTER, pg 8 Youths found delinquent in thefts By ANDREW TUTINO Special to The Dallas Post JACKSON TWP. — Six juve- niles arrested in August were found delinquent Monday for their roles in a burglary and theft ring, police said. The six juveniles, who are 13 and 14 years old, were involved in approximately 40 thefts, at- tempted thefts and burglaries in the Sutton Hills section and Meadowcrest development in the township, police said. Two of the boys were sen- tenced to probation, the other Misericordia prof seeks cures In tropical forests By MONIQUE SIMPSON Special to the Post DALLAS — Movies have al- ways had powerful impacts on viewers. Some weep sentimental tears and some chuckle uncontrol- lably, but few travel to tropical jungles to find medical cures upon returning from the cine- ma. Professor Larry Pedersen is - among the latter. After watching Sean Connery scour the Brazilian rain forest for a cancer cure in “Medicine Man,” the College Misericordia chemistry professor set out to find cures in the Central Ameri- can forests. “I said, ‘Hey, I want to do that.’ “ His first step was building on his botanical knowledge by en- rolling in a tropical plant ecology course in Costa Rica. But two weeks before it was scheduled to start, the teacher backed out and the class was canceled. “I'll teach the course,” Peder- sen half-jokingly told the school's administration. A few days later, he was offered the position. With the help of a native teaching assistant, he spent the summer of 1999 teaching plant identification to five internation- al students at La Suerte Biologi- cal Field Station, a private sta- tion northeast of San Jose. One of the more adventurous aspects of the summer was con- ducting field research in the neotropical rain forest. Unlike the local people, the 55-year-old chemist was unable to knock down small tree branches with a sling shot and had to rope-climb trees to examine the vegetation. After finishing the course, Pedersen traveled to Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua. Be- cause of past political problems, he said little research has been done in the area and there are many unexplored botanical op- portunities. Now he is focusing his re- search on Ometepe’s ecology. During the past two summers, See CURES, pg 8 four were remanded to the Luzerne County Juvenile Deten- tion Facility, police said. The six were ordered to pay about $10,000 in restitution by See YOUTHS, pg 7 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar... o....ivinavenensi. 16 Classified.........civ...... 13-15 Crossword.....................: 10 EdHOAAS...... co cimaiiviein 6 Obituaries...c..a.ccccvcieeeenns 2 SCHOOL... cour ivii- cova rausvuins 12 SPOS... iupuvisrssnibareins 9-11 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dallaspost@Ileader.net address changes, The Dallas Post and mail to The Dallas Post P.O. Box 386, Dallas, PA 18612-0366 Please enclose this label with an
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