8 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Thursday, January 23," 2003 EDITORIAL Maybe this is one list we’d rather not be on Is the Back Mountain not an “A list” place? That seemed to be the implication of the hopeful developer of a “big box” store in Dallas Township when he met with Dallas Borough officials last week. The “five points” intersection at the center of Dallas could be a sticking point in plans to build a large retail complex a couple of miles away. That's because much of the traffic that would carry customers to the township site must come by way of Memorial Highway. The state Department of Trans- portation (PennDOT) ranks the intersection like a failing stu- dent, D on an A-F scale, and the ranking would certainly fall to F if nothing is done in anticipation of the new stores. The best way to preserve even the present inadequate level of service is to make Lake Street one way toward Center Hill Road, this freeing up one cycle of the traffic signals that now control five entry points. While that might work — and other people have made the same suggestion — it would create other problems and would be little more than a band aid so- lution once hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cars going to and from a major retailer are added to the mix. And this measure would do nothing to ease congestion on the way back. For whatever reason, perhaps because he’s desperate to recoup an ill-considered investment, the would-be developer chose to discredit the Back Mountain's allure to national re- tailers as he attempted to browbeat the borough into accept- ing his plan. He said mammoth firths also rank on a scale, and “Dallas isn’t a top location for one of these places;” going on to imply that we'd better just roll over and play dead if we don’t want to left behind by such attractive alternatives as Wilkes-Barre. ; : There is a need for more retail outlets in the Back Moun- tain, but the additions should be on a scale appropriate to the landscape, transportation facilities and population. Clearly, a Wal-Mart type store could not survive only on cus- tomers who live here, and a significant increase in traffic would be harmful to our quality of life. It would be more troublesome to develop the land in Dallas Township into smaller, more attractive stores, but that would be more in keeping with the character of the place. A four-screen movie theater, a modest clothing store and a specialty food Ce would stand a great chance at success as anchors of a taste- fully designed complex — and they would generate a more" manageable volume of traffic. ; : Such a development may not make the “A list” for opera- tors of huge, charmless boxes bearing 10-foot neon signs, but it would stand a good chance of success while detracting less from the region’s charms. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek +) Just for this week, I'm rooting for the Oakland Raiders. It’s not that I'm impressed by the team’s well-deserved reputa- tion as bullies and bandits (They were penalized 14 times for 127 yards Sunday), or the tasteless black and silver pirate outfits favored by their brain-dead fans. No, it's just that they're old. In football terms, this is a collection of geezers who should be spending most of their day in a hot tub sooth- ing arthritic joints or trying to unscramble gray matter. In- stead, theyre going to play for the Super Bowl champi- onship. What a country! This must be a real shock to commentators who swoon over the new talent in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE! While the playoffs featured Vick, McNabb and Mc- Nair (No, that’s not a Philadelphia law firm), the final will find Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson — seldom mentioned in ithe same breath. as Montana and Namath — at the controls. But the Raiders win the prize for most ageless wonders on one team, particularly as receivers, with Jerry Rice, who. must be about ready to collect Social Security, and Tim ‘Brown the primary targets. How could this be? In a rebuttal to our youth-obsessed culture, the veterans have put it to the whippersnappers but good this time, and I'll revel in it as long as it lasts, which may be the first quarter. This doesn’t mean that I'd like to see the Rolling Stones perform at halftime, though. At least the players wear helmets, so it’s not obvious how ridiculous- ly out of place they are. Letters are encouraged Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: * Letters should not exceed 500 words. * No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30- day period, except as a reply to another letter. | Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. * Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. * The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. In addition to letters, we welcome longer pieces that may run as columns. The author or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting material for publication. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER unity Newspaper Group P.O. BOX 366, DALL A 18612 « 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER Kari L. Wachtel ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Erin Youngman REPORTER Claudia Blank AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Darlene E. Sorber Terry Quinn OFFICE MANAGER PAGE DESIGN Red barn in the snowfield. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. New books added at Back Mountain Memorial Library The Back Mountain Memorial Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dal- las, announces the addition of the following books to their collec- tion. FICTION “Light in Shadow” by Jayne Ann Krentz “Forever” by Pete Hamill “This Time Love” by Elizabeth Lowell “Making Things Better” Anita Brookner by “Let's All Kill Constance” by Ray Bradbury “A Place Called Rainwater” by Dorothy Garlock “Whispers as Midnight” Karen Robards “Samaritan” by Richard Price “As Meat Loves Salt” by Maria McCann by NON-FICTION “Everyday Grace: having hope, finding forgiveness, and making miracles” by Marianne Williamson “Mini Power Tool Handbook” by Zachary Taylor “Bartlett's Familiar Quota- tions” by John Bartlett REFERENCE “Representative Speeches 2001-2002” American AUDIOTAPES “Four Blind Mice” by James Patterson “Quentins” by Maeve Binchy “My Forbidden Face” by Latifa “The Beach House” by James Patterson “Sunset in St. Tropez” by Danielle Steel SPECIAL DONATIONS “Dumpy the Dump Truck” by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton, gift g Matthew and Emily Blaum “Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!” by Audrey and Don Wood, gift of Matthew and Emily Blaum Arbor Day Foundation offers 10 free flowering trees Ten free flowering trees will be given to each person who joins’ The National Arbor Day. Foundation during January 2003. The ten trees are two White Flowering Dogwoods, two Flow- ering Crabapples, two Golden- raintrees, two Washington Hawthorns, and two American ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago - January 27, 1933 STUDENTS GIVE BENEFIT PROGRAM A sizable crowd attended the special program given at Himm- ler Theatre by the Athletic Asso- ciation of Dallas borough schools to raise funds to com- plete payments on the girls showers in the high school building. ; A meeting was called for the purpose of discussing a pro- posed Building and Loan Associ- ation for the District. Everyone present was of the opinion that a Building and Loan Associaiton would be a benefit and is essen- tial for the growth of this region. At J. F. Besecker Co. , Dallas, some prices of autos were: 1929 Ford Roadster, Rumble Seat, $95; 1930 Ford Cabriolet, $225; 1931 Ford Tudor Sedan $265; 1931 DeLuxe Ford Runabout $265. ONLY YESTERDAY is complied from the back-issue files of The Dallas Post Redbuds. The trees were selected for planting in large or small spaces together will produce a combination of pink, white, and yellow flowers. In addition they provide winter berries and nest- ing sites for songbirds. The trees will be shipped postpaid at the right time for planting between February 1 and May 31 with enclosed planting instructions. The six to twelve inch ‘trees are guaran- teed to grow or they will be re- placed free of charge. Members also receive a sub- scription to the Foundation’s bimonthly publication, Arbor Day, and The Tree book with in- formation about tree planting and care. To become a member of the Foundation and to receive. the free trees, send a $10 coritribu- tion to Ten Free Flowering Trees, National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410, by January 31. o * farm machines, 60 Years Ago - January 22, 1943 HOLDERS OF ‘C BOOKS URGED TO SHARE RIDES Holders of “C”. and “B: gasoline rationing books for occupaitonal driving’ to and from work are urged by Fred M. Kiefer, chair- man, Dallas War Price and Ra- tioning Board, to take immediate steps to join in some form of ride sharing programs if they live within reasonable distance of bus lines and hope to retain these books. All sales of five critical used have = been placed under price control by OPA, This action is designed to relieve farmers from paying ex- cesive prices resulting from rapidly increasing demand. Shad N. Goss, Dallas Town- ship School Director, asumed his new dutiesas Sergeant-At- Arms at the State Capitol in Harrisburg. 50 Years Ago -January 23, 1953 SCHOOLS PUT INAUGURAL CEREMONIES ON T.V. High school students through- out the Back Mountain area had an opportunity to see the Inau- guration ceremonies , with all high schools equipped with tele- vision. Four high school girls from two of Back Mountain High Schools will be signally honored as soon as the elections deter- mine which four will represent Lehman-Jackson High School and Lake-Noxen High School at the coming YWCA’s Model UN Assembly in Harrisburg. Some of the movies that played at the Himmler Theatre were: “Plymouth Adventure”;, with Spencer Tracey, Gene Tier- ney; “Somebody Loves Me”, with Betty Hutton, Ralph Meeker; “Way of Gaucho”, with Rory Cal- houn, Gene Tierney. 40) Years Ago - January 24, 1963 DAN FLOOD TO BE TOAST- MASTER FOR AWARD DINNER Congressman Daniel J. Flood, was toastmaster of the Back Mountain Protective Association Dinner when it - presents its Community Services Award to Reverend Francis A. Kane, pas- tor of the Gate of Heaven church. Seven of ten new fire phones ordered . by Dallas. emergency squads were installed. Three more will be coming shortly. Un- der the new system, a fire or ambulance call will ring phones in ten homes simutaneously. Only fire chiefs will be able to sound the central alarm from their homes. Marine Private. Charles A. Piekanski, Dallas, completed re- cruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Is- land, N.C. 30 Years Ago - January 25, 1973 DALLAS BORO BUDGET HIKES SALARIES FOR POLICE Dallas Borough adopted a budget for Council 1973 which holds the property tax rate steady at nine mills an pro- jects total expenditures of $123,000. The budget included sizeable raises for the borough's police chief, Ray Titus, and pa- trolmen Sev Newberry and Ronald Dudick. The sewer extension for the Dallas Elementary temporary building, a 500 foot line extend- ing from Pear Tree Lane to Dal- las School District property, has been completed.Installation costs are included in the Federal grant for the building. Some of the merchandise you could get at Whitesell Bros. in Dallas were: propane torch kit, $7.77, G.E. steam & dry iron $7.99; portable heater $9.99. 20 Years Ago - January 26, 1983 DAYTIME POLICE OFFICER SOUGHT BY COMMUNITY Jackson Township may have a day time police officer in the fu- ture. Chairman of supervisors, Walter Zincavage said the board has been interviewing applicants for the post in hopes of finding a suitable and capable person. Nine Back Mountain police of- ficers received training on the use of the community's latest deterrent to drunk driving, the Toximeter 3000. The men took 12 hours of training on use and another eight hours on mainte- nance of the breath tester. John Robbins was elected president of the Noxen Volunteer computerized Fire Company at its recent meet- ° ing. Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week? A: Only in The Dallas Post § 3 i | . [J | i Be h }- | Jy y ) — ! Pl. am Saami a NON bd ee TH Pre bet ed eh NL ped peed oN 4 | J | 1 ~ I.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers