The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Thursday, April 11, 2002 EDITORIAL Keep discussions about public business public The Kingston Township supervisors and the board’s solici- tor mended at least part of the broken fence with residents - when they reappointed two new supervisors last week. The action came after protesters - including this page - suggest- ed that the decision to appoint John Versari and Cornelius ‘Allen to fill vacant positions had been reached improperly, ‘perhaps even illegally, before any public discussion of their qualifications was conducted. Paul Sabol, the chairman of the supervisors, admitted as much in numerous interviews with reporters, apparently unaware that a meeting between himself and the only other remaining supervisor, J. Carl Goodwin, constituted an official gathering. Benjamin Jones III, the board's solicitor, was troubled enough by suggestions of impropriety to speak at length to others in the legal field before recommending that a second set of special meetings be held to make the appointments as correct as they could be under the circumstances. We hope this episode has chastened the Kingston Town- ship Supervisors, and will encourage them to make certain all their deliberations are conducted properly and in public. They are not alone among local government bodies in fre- quently seeming to have their minds made up before meet- ings begin, often voting on agenda items with little or no dis- cussion. That isn’t fair to the people who put elected officials into office, and who expect to participate in the management of their communities. Music is worth the expense, effort The Lake-Lehman school board made the right call in vot- ing to hire a second music teacher to serve students in the district. The issue of music education was brought to a head when Edward Richards, until now the sole music teacher, resigned from the extra duties as marching band director, raising the possibility that band would become strictly an extra-curricular activity. Last week's action may result in Richards’ ouster as high school concert band director, a fate he seems willing to accept for the good of the district’s music program. It's not easy for school boards to support music in this manner given the current financial pressures districts face. As the state contribution to school budgets has shrunk by 40 percent in recent years, many districts have cut back spending on music and other classes deemed unessential. But Lake-Lehman has a long, proud history of musical ex- cellence, and the board has recognized that commitment is needed to maintain it. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek No nation mixes business and government quite like Italy, where the wealthiest businessman is also Prime Minister, a position close to our presidency. Imagine if the U.S. was like that, and we had President Bill Gates, instead of just most- disliked-and-envied-high-tech-magnate Bill Gates. Here are a few headlines you might read in The Washington Post: Tax break asked for owners of huge new homes President Bill Gates today proposed legislation that would give tax deductions to owners of new homes costing more than $40 million to build. While the President's spokesman denied the proposal was crafted because of Gates’s own experience with his mansion overlooking Lake Washington, opponents pointed out that only richer-than-smart owners had spent such an astounding sum on their trophy dwellings. Apple investigated by EPA Prodded by the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency today launched an investigation into the safety of the latest Apple computer, the Imac quadrilateral. The agency said it has received three complaints of paper cuts suffered by users sliding a hand along the edge of the machine’s colorful, ultra thin display screen, which floats on a cushion of air gen- erated by the cooling fan. “Windows based PCs don’t have this problem,” said I.M. Asuckup, EPA administrator, “because they're still boxy and beige.” MSNBC becomes everyone’s home page President Gates today signed an order requiring all internet service providers to make MSNBC the default home page. The president's critics called the move a “bald-faced attempt to monopolize the internet.” They were joined at a press confer- ence by the heads of AOL Time Warner, Yahoo, Verizon and others, at which it was revealed that the Google search engine had been taken over by the government, and the top entry in every category began with “Microsoft.” Gates denied any collu- sion with the company he led before being elected, pointing out that his interest in the company was being held in a “blind trust,” which is directed by his 2-year-old daughter. The Dallas Post TIMES*LEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL A 18612 » 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER William J. Dunn Jr. ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Timothy J. Raub REPORTER Ruth Proietto AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Darlene Sorber Terry Quinn OFFICE MANAGER PAGE DESIGN Opening day seems so far away. Photo by Ron Bartizek. LETTERS | Supervisor explains reasoning behind appointments Editor, As Chairman of the Kingston Township Board of Supervisors, I am writing in order that I may clarify my position relative to the appointment of two new township supervisors. The unfortunate passing of Herbert Hill and William Tip- pett, coupled with the resigna- tion of Randall Glidden placed the Kingston Township Board of Supervisors in an unprecedent- ed position. The selection of worthy replacements for these gentlemen who had given so much. .in their service to our township was a task which I hope future supervisors are not again faced with. As one of two remaining duly elected supervi- sors, it was my goal to work co- operatively with my colleague, Vice Chairman J. Carl Good- win, in selecting replacements as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the framers of our township Home Rule Char- ter had the foresight to provide Carol King Charlotte Raup, a Master Herbalist and a Pennsylvania State Master Gardener, will be at the library on Saturday, April 27, from 1:30't0 3:30 p.m. to demonstrate the making of herbal vinegars for medicinal uses or for cooking. She will also talk about the usage, doses, safety, and side effects of the top 20 medicinal herbs. Copies of her flyer are at the front desk. Library luncheon: If you have just returned from your winter stay in Florida (or elsewhere), call the library by Friday (675- 1182) to see if it is still possible to get a reservation for the Friends’ 14th Annual Spring Luncheon. It will be held at The ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - April 8, 1932 LOCAL MAN GETS HIGH POSITION George A. Augherton of Fern- brook, former vice-president of for such an unusual turn of events. The continuity of town- ship government was not inter- rupted and two replacements have been named in accordance with the provisions of the Home Rule Charter. The candidates who had sub- mitted letters of interest to fill these vacancies all held out- standing credentials. Many let- ters of recommendation and support were also received on behalf of several candidates. As you know, a few individuals had extensive prior experience with ithe township, and of course, they were my personal friends. Throughout my career of township service which spans nearly 40 years, I have had the good fortune to serve the citi- zens of Kingston Township as Chief of Police, a member of the Trucksville Volunteer Fire Com- pany, the Kingston Township Ambulance Association and the Back Mountain Police Associa- tion. As a resident, volunteer and township employee, 1 have always placed the welfare of Kingston Township above all else. It is with pride that I have watched our township grow and prosper into a model communi- ty. As a township supervisor, I am committed to the preserva- tion of the open, honest and progressive township govern- ment which has become our community’s hallmark. In selecting our new township supervisors, I looked to the fu- ture and not to the past. Just as our township has grown, so have the complexities of town- ship government. It was my goat to insure that the Board of Supervisors would remain a di- verse group of individuals, ca- pable of administering govern- mental affairs in a fair and im- partial manner. There is a great deal to be said for experience, but in this instance, I personal- ly was looking for individuals who would bring to the board new ideas and a fresh perspec- tive on township government. I firmly believe that Mr. Versari and Mr. Allen will provide this new objectivity and progressive ) leadership. They have the pro- fessional background and abili- ty to guide our township in the right direction. Significant challenges are be- fore us, most notably the selec- tion of a fifth township supervi- sor as well as a new township manager. I will continue to ap- proach these issues in a fair, | open and impartial manner. It is my sincere goal that Kingston Township remain a progressive and model Home Rule commu- nity. Along with my fellow su- pervisors I will continue to give my all in service to the citizens of Kingston Township. Paul M. Sabol, Chairman Kingston Township Board of Supervisors Herbalist, gardener will appear April 27 Apple Tree Terrace, Newberry Estate, Dallas, on Thursday, April 18, starting at 11:30 a.m. The speaker is editor Esther Davidowitz of Kingston. Book Club: The Book Club meets in the Community Room at the library at 1 p.m. on the third Monday of each month from March to December. New members are welcome. Board Report: Librarians take any opportunity to make friends for the library and to work for good causes. Martha Butler even went to jail! She participated on March 14 in the Muscular Dys- trophy Association Lock-Up at the Holiday Inn. There she spent an hour making calls to library staff, friends, and patrons, whose donations to the MDA helped to release her from jail. On April 24, the library will participate in the Back Moun- tain Business & Professional As- sociation Business Fair at the Stax & Co. restaurant. Several groups of children toured the library during March. Marilyn Rudolph and Janet the Dime Bank Title & Trust Company of Wilkes-Barre has been notified of his new position. with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of Washington. At a meeting of the Kingston Township School Board a reso- lution was passed to advertise for bids on the proposed new high school building to be erect- ed on the Kashenback plot. At the Himmler Theatre some of the movies that played: Hell Divers with Wallace Beery; Shanghai Express with Marleine Deitrick and Clive Brooks; Ben Hur with Ramon Navarro, The Bauman met with the District Children’s Librarians to plan Summer Reading activities. Statistics for March: total cir- culation: 7,899; books, added: 252; new borrowers, 81; and ac- tive borrowers: 14,446. Book reviews: The evening discussion group (now meeting on Thursdays) met and dis- cussed the book, “A Fine Bal- ance,” by Rohinton Mistry. Pam Oliveira reports that the book did not receive a positive review. “It takes place in 1975 in an un- known village in India. Four in- dividuals come together for dif- ferent reasons and the book chronicles their lives. For us, the story just wasn’t worthy of 600+ pages. The book gives wonderful insight into the caste system of India and some of the country’s political history, but we didn't feel it was a good story.” Their next book is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou. They will meet on Thursday, April 25, at Little Nicky's at 7 p.m. All are wel- come. Call Pam at 674-9935 for further information. Camp with Jackie Cooper and Wallace Berry. 60 Years Ago - April 10, 1942 SPECIAL REGISTRATION FOR BACK MOUNTAIN VOTERS IF HELD A special registration of Back Mountain Region voters for par- ticipation on the May Primary Elections if being held in the Dallas Borough building on Mill street and provides the last op- portunity for local citizens to register party preference without traveling to the courthouse in The Monday morning group recently read Amy Tan's “The Bonesetter’'s Daughter.” Like her previous books, “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Kitchen God's Wife,” this novel centers around a mother-daughter theme. It starts off in contemporary San Francisco, where the daughter is trying hard to help her mother deal with the onslaught of Alzheimer’s Disorder, and flash- es back to a Chinese village where the mother lived as a child. The author, a consum- mate story-teller, leads the read- ¢ er through many unexpected twists and turns. The book was praised by the majority of those present. New display: Now on display in the library is agcollection of mining and blasting artifacts owned by John J. Pagoda, Jr. He is interested in collecting ad- ¢ ditional artifacts related to the anthracite region, specifically, Plymouth and Nanticoke, and especially of the Loree Colliery, Larksville. You may reach John at pagodajj@ptd.net, or (570) 779-1811. Wilkes-Barre. Four men were called for mili- tary service by officials of Local Draft Board No. 1 at Wyoming. (} The men called were John Kudzinski, Dallas; Paul wesley, Dallas; Frank Pearce Bennallack of Shavertown and Benjamin Harrison Jones, Shavertown. Local men who make up the Dallas Volunteer Fire crew bat- tled five large brush and forest fires within 48 hours. The loca- tion of the fires were: Kunkle, on 'Y See YESTERDAY, pg 7 aS i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers